The Mole: Traitor Aboard
by krisetchers
Summary: The Mole: Nine contestants work their way through physical and mental challenges to reach the grand total of 500,000 coins. But aboard the eight average players is an imposter, a traitor, a saboteur. Can you determine which one of them is the Mole?
1. The Jumping Start

**Who is the Mole?**

**Side Note: This is the first Mario/Mole-related fic established on this website.**

_**To all those reading: Be sure to NOT look at the end chapters, unless you want this entire story spoiled! Same with the reviews! Clicking on that number above and reading the reviews will reveal too much! Thanks a million for reading! Feel free to leave a review (=**_

**My second season is also out: The Mole: Saboteur's Island! Be warned though, the identity of the Mole of this first story gets spoiled in my second season. So I would suggest reading this season first. However, if you really want to go ahead and read my second season first, feel free.  
**

**If you have never heard of the Mole before, it goes like this. Players in _The Mole_ must work together to complete various physical and mental challenges to add cash into the team pot, that only the winner at the end would win. One of them, however, is "the ****Mole****," a double agent hired by the producers to ****sabotage**** the efforts of the group. Not only will they attempt to wreck the team pot for the other players, but the Mole must avoid drawing suspicion towards him or her. At the end of each episode, the players take a quiz on their knowledge of the Mole, with questions asking what the Mole did during one of the challenges, or what their occupation is or what their eye color is, and even questions asking what the Mole had eaten for breakfast. The player who scores the lowest each round is executed, and is eliminated from the game immediately. When it's down to the final three, there is a winner, a final victim, and the Mole.**

**Well, enjoy the story and happy Mole hunting! **

* * *

**Episode 1**

_It has begun. Ten players. Nine are up to the challenge and playing by their own innocent strategies. Their goal is to win, to succeed in every challenge, and to be the one to be victorious at the very end. But one of them is the imposter. The cheat. The fraud. The saboteur. One of them is The Mole._

* * *

A helicopter, hovering over the cliff edge for minutes, finally lands onto the ground as the passenger steps out. The passenger is bedazzled from her exciting way to her destination, but is bedazzled with confusion at what's to come.

**_Birdo_**

Surname: Bowtie

Birthday: June 2

Occupation: Gardener/Florist

Another helicopter a distance away lands as well, and two more passengers had exited their way to the rocky ground.

**_Blooper_**

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

**_Daisy_**

Surname: Floral

Birthday: May 12

Occupation: Hair Salon Owner

A third helicopter lands not long after the one previous. The passenger steps his way off the vehicle and looks around.

**_Doopliss_**

Surname: Shiftle

Birthday: October 14

Occupation: Actor

The next two come from a fourth helicopter that makes its way momentarily after the third. They both look around, puzzled.

**_Lakitu_**

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

**_Luigi_**

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

A person walks off from another helicopter that has landed, stepping her way carefully onto the dusty terrain.

**_Toadette_**

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emercency Nurse

Simultaneously another helicopter has made its way to the ground. The passenger has a look of uncertainty displayed on her face.

**_Peach_**

Surname: Toadstool

Birthday: February 3

Occupation: Tennis Trainer

The last helicopter to arrive arrives, and a person with a confident look on his face steps down.

**_Rawk Hawk_**

Surname: Hawk

Birthday: May 29

Occupation: Champion Wrestler

"Hey, so what did I miss?" Rawk Hawk asked loudly over the leaving helicopter. The other eight are confused, not to mention that they couldn't hear him over the intense sound of the propeller.

"Welcome!" came the voice from behind them. A man was standing right behind them, who resembles a familiar person to Blooper.

"You're McBallyhoo!" Blooper claimed.

"Yes I am!"

"Who's that?" Doopliss questioned.

"Yeah, I remember seeing him somewhere before," Birdo remembered.

"I honestly don't," Peach said, examining him closer. McBallyhoo frowned.

"I think only a few of us knows him," explained Luigi. "But I think you're our host for this show, right McBallyhoo?"

"Yes, I am," he said. "And now, welcome all of you…the Mole: Enemy Aboard!" Light-hearted cheers followed after, as they clapped happily.

"The ten of you are here to work together in order to complete physical and mental tasks. For each time you are able to succeed, money is awarded to your team pot. But keep in mind that only the winner at the end will be victorious over the large sum of cash. The maximum total that can be created, if each and every activity is completed successfully, is 500."

"Umm, five hundred coins?" Toadette repeated. "I guess that's okay."

"Hey, that doesn't seem like a lot!" Lakitu pointed out. "We signed up for this when they estimated the winning prize to reach-"

"Whoops, small mistake," corrected McBallyhoo. "I think I missed a few zeros when I read that. It's 500,000 coins that can be earned."

"Now that's a lot different!" Lakitu exclaimed. The others look at each other in excitement. Five hundred thousand coins? But just who would be the one to take it all?

"But there is…something important I forgot to tell you all," McBallyhoo added.

"That you accidentally made a typo?" Daisy joked.

"Something more troubling than that," he said. "One of you is not really who they seem to be. I guess your first instincts were that all nine of you were just a couple of curious contestants, am I correct?"

"And…what do you mean by that?" Birdo wondered out loud.

"One of you is a traitor, a lie, the pretender of the group. You have been set up by us as the Mole to inhibit the success of the others. The Mole's role in this game is to sabotage all your challenges."

The nine standing on the side of the cliff base look at one another in surprise. They couldn't imagine how one of them could actually be an enemy of all the others.

"Of course, your eyes have to be keen and observant to win the game. Otherwise, you'll have to pay."

"And we would want to know who the Mole is, why?" asked Peach.

"At the end of each episode you will be given a quiz on the identity of The Mole. There will be execution eliminations along the way, and your chances to win will over if you are the lowest scorer. The one who keeps up the Mole's identity would surely be the one to succeed all the way to the end. Any questions?" The players shook their heads.

"Ready to start?" he asked them.

"Yeah!" shouted the others.

"Cause I have a challenge for you," the host announced, as he stepped towards the edge of the cliff.

They followed the host to look over the edge of the cliff and looked on in amazement. Below them was a platform with various crew members, and leading down to the bottom fifty feet below was nothing except gravity itself. It was a cliff jump, into the glistening springs that were located near the camping station they would be staying at. They started to laugh in excitement and anxiety, realizing they were not as high as they had thought they had been when they arrived. But fifty feet was still a long distance.

"This is the Cliff Springs. All of you must jump down into the water below, and of course, survive." The contestants laughed.

"There is a twist, however. You must all complete the fifty foot jump for this challenge to me successful. And one more thing: none of you are allowed to add or take anything off from your bodies after the next…fifteen seconds. Starting now."

The contestants frantically started to dig into their pockets, trying to remove all their valuables or items that would succumb to the water. Many took off their sweaters.

"Everyone, cell phones," Luigi told them. "Electronics, whatever you have."

"How about my necklace?" Daisy asked quickly.

"I can't take out my ipod!" Rawk Hawk exclaimed, desperately trying to get the device out of his back pocket.

"Wait, wait wait…"

"Time up!" announced McHallyboo. "Do not add or remove anything in your possessions from now on. No! Rawk Hawk, time is up. However, you can situate your ipod anywhere on your body. This challenge is worth an amount of 15,000 coins." Some of their faces were relieved.

"If any of you remove or add any further articles to or from your individual bodies before jumping, the challenge will be lost."

"Damnit!" Rawk Hawk yelled. Many looked at him with uneasiness when they saw the ipod sticking out halfway from his back pocket. Blooper couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh shoot, my watch," noticed Blooper, looking at the front of his many arms.

"You can try your best to protect the items you didn't manage to remove," reminded the host. "And remember, all of you must complete the jump to win the challenge. Anybody up first?"

"I'll go," Lakitu said immediately. The others watched in anticipation as Lakitu stepped along with the host, to the lower platform. There were no cables or anything to support the contestants if they chose to jump down below, but the only things that eased their minds was when a person proceeded to put a life vest around Lakitu.

"Go Lakitu!" called out Daisy, to the platform ten feet below.

"He seemed a bit confident when he called out to go first," Doopliss noticed. "Oh, and that platform below kinda makes the jump only forty feet. That's not bad, I guess,"

"Gosh, do we all have to do this?" Luigi wondered. "Ahh, I'm terrified of a heights."

In quick time, Lakitu was all set to jump. To the surprise of the others his cloud was removed, to reveal that his feet weren't all that special after all. The others watched in hopes as Lakitu stepped to the edge of the platform. He jumped off.

When they saw the splash appear in the water fifty feet below, the eight of them above cheered and clapped at their first step to winning the challenge. But only one-ninth of it had been completed so far.

_All you could do was take it all in and face the fact that you were jumping a great distance. It wasn't the first time I had been at high heights, after all. _

"Well done for Lakitu," the host said, seeing the thumbs-up signal from one of the crew members below. "Next up at random selection: Daisy."

"No!" she said, as the others chuckled with glee. But with a smile proceeded to walk down onto the platform, to where the host was standing to get her ready.

"So, afraid of heights?" the host asked her.

"Nah, I'm the crazy type of girl," Daisy told him. "I can do this. Not sure about Toadette though."

"Oh?"

"She seems kind of upset about this challenge," said Daisy. "But I'll wish her well when I reach the bottom. I'm ready for this!" She put on her life vest.

The others ten feet above on the cliff watched Daisy as hopefully as they had watched Lakitu. However, Peach was talking to a shivering Toadette, who wasn't the type for extreme activities.

"I'm even scared of jumping off from a diving board at a swimming pool," Toadette explained to her. "I doubt anything can make me feel better now."

"This will help all of us," Peach told her in a positive attitude. "Fifteen thousand coins is a great start!" They heard a yell from below as Daisy jumped off the platform, to the water. The group of seven cheered.

_Gosh, that jump was more than anything I had ever experienced in my life. But I loved the thrill._

But Toadette wasn't the only hesitant one. Rawk Hawk was being instructed by Doopliss on the best way to keep his ipod water-free along the fall. He sighed in exhaustion.

"Place it into your rather, tight pants," Doopliss suggested as his last resort. "Water will surely not be able to reach it."

"Here," said Luigi, offering Rawk Hawk his cap. "Wrap this around your a ipod. No water can get passed this fabric."

"And you're sure about that?" asked Rawk Hawk with doubt.

"It's specially designed to keep out a sewage water," Luigi explained. Doopliss and Rawk Hawk looked at him awkwardly, but Rawk Hawk had already taken the cap. The host called out the name Blooper, and Blooper reluctantly stepped down to the platform.

"Well," said the host. "It looks like you had no trouble removing any items of particular from your body. You don't have any clothes!"

"I still forgot to remove my Rolex GMT Master II," he pointed out. The host looked and shook his head at his misfortune.

"But fifteen thousand coins can buy me ten extra of these!" he told him, and jumped backwards with enthusiasm. The crowd whistled and cheered for the third time.

"Man, Blooper sacrificed his expensive watch," said Rawk Hawk. "Surely, he can't be the Mole."

"It could have been an act of innocence," Birdo reminded him. The other five looked at her, and looked at each other. Once again they came to the realization that one among them was a traitor, hired to hinder their next moves. Which person it was, they were not sure. Every single one of them seemed as innocent as another.

_I did it for the group. I mean, I didn't want them to suspect me at all as being the Mole. But ha, now my brothers are going to kill me if I can't pay this watch back. _

"Birdo!" Birdo's eyes widened, as she went down to the platform. The others watched as they hoped for her success. Would she be willing to jump?

"Any fears of any kind?" the host asked her.

"Doesn't include heights at all," she told him. "More of mental fear, like becoming handicapped or something along those lines."

"Not that that's likely," the host reassured. Birdo put on her life vest, and hesitated only a second before she jumped her way into the water below. The lessened crowd clapped happily.

_I lied to McHallyboo about not fearing heights. I've been scared of them since I was young, and jumping of the platform sent that strange feeling into my stomach. You know, that feeling you get on roller coasters._

When Luigi's name was called, he groaned unhappily. Rawk Hawk shoved him lightly towards the walkway to the platform, and he made his way to the host nervously.

"Jumping will win for the a prize, right?" Luigi asked, as a crew member put on a lifevest.

"Only if the other four decide to jump as well," the host reminded him. "You can jump off this cliff, or you can quit this challenge."

"Go Luigi!" called out Peach. The others shouted supportive words to him, and Luigi held his breath as he stepped to the edge. He jumped forwards, and let out a shriek on the way down. The ones at the edge of the spring water who had already completed their job cheered as Luigi hit the water.

_I admit, I'm a chicken. I'm scared of the a dark, ghosts, and even spoiled milk. I really don't know what a made me force myself to jump, but I guess it was for the team. And to meet Daisy again as quick as possible._

"Toadette!" the host called. Peach let go off her shoulders as she looked anxiously at the small contestant. Would she be the one to forfeit the challenge?

"Well," said the host, as Toadette stepped onto the platform. "It is your choice whether to jump or not."

"I really don't want to," Toadette said in a quiet voice, as she peered over the edge. She saw the others, looking up in hope at her. But the sight of the fifty feet to the water had overcome her.

"I just…can't," Toadette said, looking away from the edge.

"And it's your choice," said the host. Toadette looked over the edge again and saw her waiting teamates. They had made it, so why shouldn't she?

"You can do it, Toadette!" called out Lakitu, trying to block out the brightness of the sun as he looked up. "Come on!"

"She's been there for like three minutes," Daisy said in worry. "Please, please jump."

And she did. While she plummeted, she shrieked an ear-piercing scream along the way. The eight contestants, above and below wooted and cheered as she hit the water, and then saw the stunned look on her face as she popped above the surface.

_Never before had I ever been so frightened when I was falling. I would have never done the jump if it wasn't for Peach's earlier support. The team was really counting on me, and I guess I showed it._

With ease, Rawk Hawk went next afterwards. Now that more than half of the players had made it to the bottom, the remaining three were confident. Rawk Hawk jumped with the cap-wrapped ipod clutched in his hands. It was perfect when he reached the other six, as his ipod was not affected by the water at all.

_I'm glad that hat of Luigi's actually worked. I would have beat him to pulp if it hadn't . And that jump…whooof._

Peach screamed even louder than Toadette as she jumped down to the water. That was eight at the bottom, and one left remaining.

_My scream had actually hurt my own ears when I screamed on my way down. And my shoes and socks were soaked! I felt so uncomfortable as I came out of the water._

At the first step of Doopliss' jump off from the platform, the crowd cheered louder than before. They were victorious over their first challenge presented to them. Fifteen thousand coins into their total, and the Mole had scored zero. Or was it really zero that the Mole had scored?

The host had made his way down in a helicopter to meet the excited group of wet people. Provided with towels, the first few jumpers were already completely dried off from the spring. As he approached them with a small smile, the crowd quieted down.

"Well, let's take a roll call," McHallyboo suggested. "Lakitu?"

"Here!"

"Daisy?"

"Here too!"

"Blooper? Birdo? Luigi?"

"Heres!"

"Toadette, Rawk Hawk, Doopliss, and Peach?"

"All here!" Doopliss claimed.

"Well, that's nine people, the same number we had started with from all the way up there!" the host said in realization. "That would result in the winnings of 15,000c into your team pot total, and congrats to you all." The contestants gave each other high-fives, and felt their first sense of success.

"Well, there was still one thing that had prevented you from success in this challenge," McHallyboo said suddenly. The group quieted down in record time and looked at him in confusion.

"Unfortunately, there were rules that I had stated clearly for you guys to follow out," said the host, "And the one that I am referring to was the rule that, quote, 'If any of you remove or add any further articles to or from your individual bodies before jumping, the challenge will be lost.'" He looked at the still puzzled group.

"The item in Rawk Hawk's hand was not in his possession after the fifteen seconds of freedom," the host clarified. Eyes turned to the left hand of Rawk Hawk, as he looked back in surprise.

"And Luigi seems to be missing one of his articles of clothing as well," the host said, as eyes turned directly at Luigi. "In the act of Luigi lending his cap over to Rawk Hawk after I had stated the rule, this challenge has now been declared lost." The looks of disbelief were aroused.

"I will meet you all at dinner, in that camp building over there," the host stated. As he went to jog ahead, the disappointed players trudged towards their new home in their semi-damped apparel.

"Don't look at me!" Rawk Hawk said suddenly. "I was offered without asking for anything." The looks averted to the player in green, who was looking away sheepishly.

"Didn't you listen to the host when he said you couldn't take anything off?" Doopliss questioned.

"I did, but I didn't mean to!" Luigi explained. "I seriously, really didn't a mean to."

"And I had to jump for nothing," Peach couldn't help adding. "Although I did come over a fraction of my fears."

"Good job Luigi," said Blooper sarcastically. "I think we finally have an amount of zero dollars in our pot." Blooper looked down in gloom at the watch still around his wrist, which was full of water and permanently destroyed.

"Oh, come on," said Daisy, obviously trying her best to defend Luigi. "I would have made the same mistake too."

"Let's stop all this blaming," said Lakitu, trying to change the subject. "I'm starving." The group proceeded to walk to the cabin.

* * *

**Birdo: The Cliff Springs challenge had really shaken me up. I didn't know what this game had in store for us, but I think it'll be all crazy from now on. Although I'm disappointed I jumped for no money in rewards. **

**Doopliss: I have my obvious suspicion on Luigi, whether he had broken the rules inadvertently or whether he had given his hat to Rawk Hawk at the most appropriate time during the game, at his own will. I'm taking the latter.**

**Rawk Hawk: I wasn't aware of the rule that disallowed me from taking an item. I mean, the host did say it but still…rawh! Whatever.**

**Luigi: I never thought it was against the rules to a lend my cap to Rawk Hawk. It was a still with us to the bottom, and I hadn't considered it as taken off from me. But I promise, it was not purposely.**

* * *

The inside of the small hotel cabin was relaxing, as they all hung out in the lobby. Most of their chats were about how they thought the cliff jump was, and who they suspected the Mole to be. But it was all light-hearted and playful, as the sun started to set behind the cliffs.

"Before dinner," a voice suddenly called out from the front door, and they turned around to see that the person who had spoken was no other than the host. He was rolling in a big cart full of similar-looking bags, each having a green fingerprint icon displayed on them. As he brought the entire cart in, he started to throw them off one by one onto the carpet ground roughly, much to the alarm and amusement of the players. Nine bags.

"Before you can enjoy your dinner," he finally said, "You must first retrieve your luggage. Fortunately, they all fit perfectly into these new bags of yours our crew members had created for you guys. Unfortunately, they had forgotten to write any names on them, so that's your job. I need the two people who have the best memory, in fifteen seconds. Starting now."

"Let me go," said Lakitu. "I have a great memory."

"Okay," said Daisy. "Lakitu, and who else? Anyone?"

"Not me," said Peach. "Not Luigi either. Blooper? Birdo?"

"Pick someone better," Blooper argued.

"Five seconds…"

"Toadette," Peach picked.

"Okay, Peach, whatever you say," Toadette said. The host looked at his watch again, and then looked at the group.

"Lakitu and Toadette?" he reaffirmed. They both nodded.

"Well, the two of you will be on much pressure now, cause I have a challenge for you."

* * *

**And that is the first part of Episode 1! Who do you think the Mole could be? Is there really enough evidence so far? The next execution comes next…**

**P.S. Watch out for the hidden clues that point to the identity of the Mole.**


	2. Opening Execution

**Episode 1 (part 2)**

"Well, the two of you will be on much pressure now, cause I have a challenge for you. And you can earn up to 20,000 coins." Smiles appeared, but Lakitu and Toadette's smiles were just plain worried.

"These two people you have picked will be responsible for labeling these luggage bags," McHallyboo explained. "Thus, if they happen to get yours wrong, you will be in a disaster. But thus can be prevented by the great memory of these two, and if all bags are labeled correctly, you will earn 20,000 coins. One wrong is a subtracted 5,000, until you will receive nothing if you get four or more incorrect."

The players didn't seem to appeal to the challenge at all with the idea of living along someone else's luggage, while another person would be rummaging around with your personal belongings. Who knows what the other person might do with your property?

"And if we get a wrong bag, how long do we have to keep with it?" Peach asked.

"For three nights, including tonight, and then you are free to compromise and trade back," he told them. "But two days can be an awful lot of trouble. Ready to start now?"

"I guess…"

"Okay, you have one minute to describe your luggage to these two sorters," said McBallyhoo. "Go!"

"Hmm, we should go as orderly as we could," Lakitu suggested. "How about half talk to me, and half talk to Toadette."

"I have a-"

"Blue shirt, blue pants-"

"There should be a book-"

"Ahh!" Toadette said in a claustrophobic voice. "One at a time." As four people talked to Lakitu, four had told their belonging details to Toadette.

To Lakitu:

Luigi Overalls, extra green cap

Blooper Some shoes, headbands

Daisy Lots of pairs of jeans

Birdo Colorful shirts

Doopliss A party hat, a large white sheet

To Toadette:

Birdo Colorful shirts

Peach: A case of jewelry, and a tennis racket

Rawk Hawk Can not remember anything but a black t-shirt

"Times up!" yelled the host. "Everyone except Toadette and Lakitu, follow me now! To the dinner table, for some portobello delight!"

"Please don't mess up," whispered Doopliss to Lakitu, as the seven others walked slowly off to the other room. Twenty thousand coins were at stake, and everyone's goal was to sustain it all. Several minutes later, the host appeared again to the two others, who were standing in front of the luggage bags patiently and repeating the details each person had told them around in their minds.

"Are you all set to go?" he asked them. They nodded.

"You have two and a half minutes, starting now."

They both immediately unzipped one of the bags open. Toadette hurriedly saw the vast amount of items in the luggage, and was automatically confused. Lakitu's bag contained jeans and T-shirts.

"This has to be Daisy's," he confirmed. Pasted on each identical bag was a large post-it note, and Lakitu wrote 'Daisy' in large letters, and then zipped it closed.

"Whose bag is this?" Toadette said.

"That's mine, write 'Lakitu'," Lakitu told her. She did so, and went over to another bag.

"Two minutes."

"Tennis racket, jewelry," Toadette said, taking one look at the items in her second bag. "Peach!"

"And whose bag is this?" Lakitu asked. T-shirts and socks, and deodorant.

"I have almost no idea," Toadette replied. "Uhhh, this next bag has all feminine items; a sweater, jeans, and some yellow shirts, and a mirror. Daisy's?"

"Daisy's bag is here," Lakitu told her. "So it must be Birdo's." She wrote down the name 'Birdo', and went to search another luggage bag.

"Okay, blue pants, and a flashlight," Lakitu said, searching the next baggage. "Luigi, obviously."

"A cap, a jacket, another jacket, white sheet…" Toadette searched the bag even more. "This is either Blooper's or Doopliss'."

"Write Doopliss," Lakitu told her. "He has a white sheet." Toadette did so, as Lakitu opened the second to last bag.

"This person likes to read," noticed Lakitu. "Great Expectations, Da Yoshi Code-"

"Haha, that's mine," said Toadette, and as Lakitu went to write her name, Toadette grabbed the last bag and opened it.

"This last one has a towel, shampoo, sandals…and like two shirts," she said to him. "I'm stuck on whose this is."

"Thirty seconds remaining," said the host.

"Who's left?" Lakitu asked her. "We have almost everyone except-"

"Rawk Hawk!" Toadette said suddenly. "He's the only one left." With that, she wrote his name as quickly as she could on the large post-it note.

"Wait, there's still one bag with me left," Lakitu pointed out, looking at the open bag full of t-shirts and deodorant. "There's still someone we're missing…"

"Then that must be Blooper's," Toadette concluded. She quickly went over to the bag and wrote down 'Blooper'.

"You sure we have everything correct?" Toadette said. "We better."

"I hope we do," Lakitu said in agreement. But then his eyes caught the open bag with the name 'Birdo' displayed on it. Was that a bracelet with a flower design on it? He knew who's that belonged too, and his eyes grew wide with alarm.

"That's not Birdo's, that's Daisy's!" he exclaimed. "Quick!" Toadette looked at him in confusion.

"Give me the post-it!" Lakitu commanded. "Hurry!" Toadette crawled over to bag with Birdo's name and removed the large sticky paper attached to it, then handed it over to Lakitu. The time was ticking as he pasted it firmly onto the other bag. Then he grabbed off Daisy's name from the bag and attempted to pass it over to Toadette, but it was too late.

"Time's up! Do not touch anything!" The post-it in Lakitu's hand fell to the ground with the word 'Daisy displayed on it. He and Toadette were panicked.

"Aww crap," Lakitu groaned. "Just crap."

* * *

The other seven had just started eating when the other two contestants entered the dinner room. Their expressions were ambiguous, but the others were delighted so see that they were all back together.

"Well," said McBallyhoo. "Your two teammates have finished their job, and their results will be seen…after dinner." The nine of them enjoyed their dinner of roasted oyster-stuffed portabella, but none of them could take their minds of from what Lakitu and Toadette had done. How did they do with the challenge?

After their discussions and rather unique meals, they were brought outside back to the lobby to see an assortment of the identical bags, with names posted onto them. The only thing they saw that was awkward was the name 'Daisy', which was stuck to the carpet flooring.

"What the heck?" Daisy couldn't help saying.

"If all bags have been correctly given to their individual owners," said the host, "Then you will be awarded 20000 coins. Let us begin with this one." He pointed over to a bag with the name 'Peach' on it. Peach went over and zipped it open.

"Yep, that's my stuff," she said.

The bags went down in a line. Next up was Birdo, who went over to the bag with her name on it hopefully and opened it.

"My belongings are here!" she said happily.

Luigi' went up to his name, and opened the bag. His flashlight was the first thing he saw.

"Yippee, it's a mine!"

Toadette went up to her bag, and saw that her possessions were inside. Lucky for Toadette and Lakitu, they thought, it would have been impossible for them to mistaken their bags for another person's.

Doopliss went over to the bag with his name. He grinned.

"Correct," he said thankfully. That was six people already, and the group felt slightly optimistic.

Lakitu's bag was next, and to no surprise were his belongings inside it.

Then Blooper went up to the bag with his name anxiously and opened it.

"That's strange," he said in a confused tone of voice. "I don't remember bringing deodorant."

"That's because that bag doesn't belong to you," the host pointed out. "That's a subtraction of 5,000 coins."

"Dang!" Blooper shouted in disappointment, and as Rawk Hawk went up to the bag with his name, all he saw were sandals and towels.

"Now I have to live with Blooper's clothes," argued Rawk Hawk. "He doesn't even have clothes that fit me! On the other hand, I don't even think he wears clothes."

"I'm sorry for your loss of attractiveness," the host told him. "And for your loss of another 5,000 coins." The group looked as dissatisfied as ever, and Toadette cringed in regret as she realized her mix-up mistake.

"And now, Daisy," the host finished, looking down at the post-it attached to the ground. "Unfortunately, she doesn't own the carpet floor, and she can't bring that with her as a possession, so you have…nothing but what you have right now for the next three nights." Daisy mouth was agape, as the rest replied in pity.

"Lakitu, Toadette, would you like to explain what had happened," the host told them.

"I saw that Birdo and Daisy's bag were switched," explained an apologetic Lakitu. "So we went over to exchange the post-its, but were…kinda too late."

"And you left my post-it name right on the ground?" Daisy said in disbelief.

"We tried our best," Toadette said meekly, but then the host interrupted them before any other talking could occur.

"That is a total of three misidentified bags of belongings," the host concluded. "Twenty thousand minus fifteen thousand is a total of 5,000 coins being added to your team pot."

**Team Pot**

**5000c**

"So what had come in play?" the host said. "Was it really a good choice for the team to pick their two volunteers? And were the misidentifications of the luggage done by bad chance, or was it the part of the scheme? Lakitu could have pretended not to notice the switched belongings of Daisy and Birdo until the last second, to make it look like a bad accident with the misplaced name." Lakitu looked away in humiliation, realizing how bad it had appeared.

"Or what happened with Toadette being so confident over the names of Rawk Hawk or Doopliss? Was it just her bad luck that it turned out to be the other way around?" Toadette looked at the host hard, seeing that he was picking out the suspicious acts of the players.

"Or was it the faults of Rawk Hawk or Blooper, for not identifying their items clearly enough. Acts of forgetfulness or sabotage?" Blooper gave the host a look of innocence, but Rawk Hawk glared at him.

"Come on, enough with the pointing out and stuff," he said in an annoyed tone. The others laughed nervously.

"Well, you all need your rest for tomorrow, but I think I have a surprise for you," the host announced. "You first elimination starts at midnight, tonight."

"What?" Luigi asked in surprise. The others seemed stunned as well.

"We will alarm you at eleven thirty to meet back in this lobby, and you will all separately take your quizzes on the identity of the Mole. Remember, the lowest scorer will be eliminated." They all nodded slowly, and with that, they went their own ways to their rooms.

* * *

**Daisy: Oh, my god. I cried that night as Peach the comforter relaxed me to my hotel room. I would be having no fresh clothes, makeup, toothbrushes, and all that important stuff for the next two and a half days. God. Lakitu, whatever you did, I can certainly tell that it's impossible to put my name on none of the bags inadvertently. And he chose to volunteer so quickly.**

**Blooper: Toadette is my choice for the Mole. I mean, she was all that nervous on the Cliff Falls, and it looked like an entire act. And the best way to sabotage that baggage challenge was to switch the bags and lose ten thousand. Why the heck would I carry deodorant? But on the other hand, I'm looking at Luigi as a close second. He made me destroy my watch.**

**Toadette: My mix-up of the bags was partially my fault. Partially. Rawk Hawk told me almost nothing about his belongings that he had brought with him. Blooper's bag had a black shirt, and that's the only item Rawk Hawk had identified as his. Could you really be so clueless about the items you had packed? Hmm, hmm, hmm, kinda disbelieving. It's just like a port o' bell, only captains can arrive but can disclaim the ship they had been riding.**

**Luigi: Ai Ayayaya! First execution already and I better be wise. Although I have almost no idea who the Mole might be, I know who isn't. Daisy, I'm assuming isn't. Then I'm going with Blooper and Birdo. Rawk Hawk, I might be able to eliminate, then myself.**

**Lakitu: My suspicion has taken a rather different turn. As I was searching the bags, the one I had mistaken for Daisy's was Birdo's. And as much as I remembered looking, she did NOT have any colorful shirts like she had described. She told me that her items contained colorful shirts, and all I saw were pink and white, which is not really an assortment of colorful. At remembering that fact, I had written the word 'Daisy' on the bag instead. Birdo was the cause of Daisy's loss of possessions for the next two days, and the cause of the loss money, not me. I'm really suspicious…**

**Rawk Hawk: I am taking my chances with Luigi or Toadette. I mean, giving me his cap was a great excuse to lose the game. I compliment him for thinking that up. Toadette, well, she's my obvious second choice by how she messed our items up. I mean, we were so clear about my possessions. Come on.**

**Doopliss: Oh, boy. I am so clueless. To be honest now, I think the Mole has not yet shown any signs of foul play yet. I think he or she is playing it fair for the first episode around. Things are really gonna be turning around from now on…**

**Birdo: Who the Mole is, I am suspecting Peach. Why? Cause first of all, she plays the caring kind. And also because of something else I had never told anyone before. It seemed like she was trying her best to discourage Toadette as she was frightened to jump. I was kind of eavesdropping on her and thought I heard something along the lines of, "If you're too scared, then it's fine. This is just the first game, blah blah blah." I guess I'll be watching Peach from now on.**

**Peach: I will use my best strategy and pick the most common choices that the Mole would most likely perform. I discussed a bit with Daisy, and she thinks that Lakitu has a suspicious side of him. I did pick up on Lakitu's quick volunteering for the two challenges. But then again, it could anyone. Doopliss has been standing in the shadows lately…but then again, maybe he can't be it.**

* * *

The players walked down the stairs to the lobby, their baggage in their hands. Every person had to prepare their luggage before an execution quiz, because each contestant still obtained the bad possibility of leaving the group. That is, except for one of them.

In silence, one by one, McBallyhoo called the contestants into a room where a laptop was positioned on the table. There on the laptop was their test with ten questions:

_**Is the Mole male or female?**_

_**Did the Mole arrive with any other contestants in their helicopter?**_

_**When is the Mole's birthday?**_

_**Did the Mole break the rules in the Cliff Springs challenge?**_

_**Which order (first, second, third) did the Mole jump in the Cliff Springs Challenge?**_

_**Was the Mole a sorter or a describer in the Baggage challenge?**_

_**Did the Mole obtain his/her possessions?**_

_**Is the Mole a human?**_

_**Was the Mole a stranger to McHallyboo?**_

_**Who is the Mole?**_

One by one, they took the test. After another finished, someone else entered the room and entered their score. It was made clear that there would be no talking until the final person had finished taking the quiz.

Once they were all finished, they were brought to the center of the lobby. McHallyboo was standing besides a large television which had a fingerprint displayed on the screen, and the nine contestants sat in front of him on the set up chairs.

"Welcome to your first execution," he announced. "And in fact, it has only been your first day meeting together. Unfortunately, we will now have to find out who the Mole's first victim is. I will type in your name one by one, and when I type it in, the screen besides me will either turn Green or Red. Green; you have succeeded. Red; you are the least who knows about the Mole's identity, and thus you will have to leave immediately." Some of them shuddered at the fact that any one of them could be sent away for good.

"Obviously, the Mole will stay for every round because he or she would be most accurate in their answers about themself. Answering questions wrong about you. Isn't that funny? Hahaha!" The others looked at him in confusion.

"Let us begin," the host concluded, and then looked over to the person farthest left. It was Birdo.

"Birdo," he said. They watched the calm Birdo as he typed her name in.

**B-I-R-D-O**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

Birdo closed her eyes momentarily at the good news.

"Doopliss," the host called. Doopliss watched in hope as his name was typed.

**D-O-O-P-L-I-S-S**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

His face grew wide with happiness as the screen with the fingerprint turned green. Besides him: Daisy.

The nervous Daisy watched her name being typed in.

**D-A-I-S-Y**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

Daisy's face was relieved, as she looked at Doopliss and Birdo.

"Luigi," said the host. Daisy looked at him hopefully, as Luigi eyed the screen wide with fear.

**L-U-I-G-I**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

"Yes!" Luigi whispered. Daisy matched his face of joy.

"Toadette," the host said. As her name was being typed, Toadette shuddered ever so slightly from the dread inside her. Peach held her hand tightly.

**T-O-A-D-E-T-T-E**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

She inhaled deeply and silently in relief, as Peach smiled at her.

"Peach," the host called out. She stood up on her chair straight, hoping that nothing red would pop up on the screen.

**P-E-A-C-H**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

Her face looked surprised, as Toadette and she shared a smile.

"Three left," Doopliss whispered to Birdo.

"Rawk," the host said, and typed his name in as Rawk Hawk looked with nervous eyes.

**R-A-W-K**

...

...

...

...

...

**RED**

"Oh shoot!" shouted Rawk Hawk. Everyone looked at him with stunned faces, as the host stood up from his own chair.

"You are the Mole's first victim, and you must leave immediately," he said firmly. Rawk Hawk didn't even get to wave goodbye as he picked up his luggage and left the through the front door. All that was left were faces of sadness.

"Gosh, he was really someone who was playing their game," said Peach. "It's unfortunate that he had to be the one to leave first."

"Now I feel guilty for blaming him for not describing his luggage clear enough," Toadette said in guilt. "I guess he really was trying his best."

"And he was an awesome person too during the jump," Luigi added. "And now, he's gone."

"How about his luggage?" Blooper suddenly realized. "And he has mine!"

The host entered back into the cabin hotel, dusting his hands as he looked back at the remaining eight.

"Well, now there are only eight of you left. I congratulate the remaining of you for not being the prey during this first execution. Alas, the Mole had taken a first victim."

"The luggage-"

"We have your bag of luggage in our possession," the host explained to Blooper. "But you can only use it after the night of the day after tomorrow."

"Now what?" asked Lakitu.

"Nighty night," the host said. "Tomorrow is a big day."

* * *

**And so concludes Episode 1. With Rawk Hawk gone, it is only the beginning. Who is the remaining traitor?**

**Be sure to watch out for the hidden clues pointing to the identity of the Mole.**


	3. Appearing Strategies

**Episode 2**

_Is it an assumption made too soon to guess who the Mole was? Rawk Hawk was the first person to be eliminated in our first episode; his answers were focused directly on one person, who turned out to be just one of the eight simple contestants. Alas, somebody had to be the unlucky one to be sent home first. But to follow Rawk Hawk would be another, then another. It is never guaranteed which people would make it to the end…that is, except for the Mole._

* * *

_**Toadette**_

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emercency Nurse

_**Doopliss**_

Surname: Shiftle

Birthday: October 14

Occupation: Actor

_**Lakitu**_

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

_**Daisy**_

Surname: Floral

Birthday: May 12

Occupation: Hair Salon Owner

_**Blooper**_

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

_**Luigi**_

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

_**Peach**_

Surname: Toadstool

Birthday: February 3

Occupation: Tennis Trainer

_**Birdo**_

Surname: Bowtie

Birthday: June 2

Occupation: Gardener/Florist

* * *

At six o'clock, the alarms located in each of the contestants' room went off with an unsettling message: 

_COME DOWN IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES, OR MONEY WILL BE LOST. COME DOWN IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES, OR MONEY WILL BE LOST. COME DOWN IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES, OR MONEY WILL BE LOST. COME DOWN IN LESS THAN TEN MINU---_

In less than ten minutes, Lakitu the last person to come downstairs had arrived. Thee host looked down at his watch: Eight minutes and fifty seconds.

"Well, you're all up early and about," the host told them. "Too excited to sleep?" Half of the contestants still had their eyes half-way closed in exhaustion.

"And how are the victims of the baggage game doing?" he asked Blooper.

"This is Rawk Hawk's zipper-less jacket that fits perfectly," said Blooper, as everyone looked at him. "It has the word 'Glitzville' in gold letters."

"Still wearing the same clothes from yesterday," Daisy told the host in disgust. "This is gross."

"Well, I'm sorry to you two," the host said, "But right now, we will be leaving to the land of the foreign Nokis, in Noki Village. And to make it even more interesting, we will be riding in limousines."

"Cool!" said Peach.

"But right now, I need you to choose one person that is the best at describing things," the host told them. "Ten seconds."

"Hmm, who would that be?" wondered Birdo.

"Umm, Daisy!" said Luigi quickly. "You're the one."

"Yeah," the others said in agreement.

"Time's up. Who is it?"

"I'm the chosen one," Daisy said. After a few quick words, the eight of them went outside. Two white limousines were waiting for them, and the players looked in awe at the shiny vehicles.

"I need four of you in the front limo and three of you in the second one," the host told them. Taking as short time as necessary, Birdo, Peach, Blooper, and Toadette chose to enter the first limo, while Luigi, Doopliss, and Lakitu chose to ride in the second. Daisy the chosen volunteer had to ride in the car with McHallyboo, and the three vehicles went off to their next destinations.

* * *

Little did they know that they were being brought into their third challenge of the game. After a relaxed twenty minutes, the players had thought they were actually going to have the time to enjoy their journey in their air-conditioned spaces. But the two limos stopped suddenly in the middle of the road, causing the people within them to lurch forwards in surprise. One limousine was directly in front of the other, with a ten foot gap between the two of them. 

"What happened?" asked Peach, after the engines around them had settled down. They couldn't see through their shaded windows, nor did they know what was going on.

The limousine behind them containing the other three was full of confusion. Luigi banged on the window that separated the driver from the back seats, but nobody was there. All they could assume was that the driver had abandoned them in the middle of nowhere.

"Are we at the hotel already?" Lakitu wondered.

"Nah, we can't be," Doopliss said. "It feels way too soon."

The small volts wagon containing the host and Daisy had stopped as well on the road, and was located just a couple of feet away from the two luxury cars. Daisy looked at the host in confusion.

"Well, Daisy, I have a challenge for you," the host said. Daisy's eyes widened as the host took out a laptop, with a live video recording on it. It showed the other four in their non-moving vehicle.

"This is a two-way video camera," the host explained. "You can see their moves, and once I switch on their TV, they can see your actions. Unfortunately, they can't hear you at all."

"And…what am I supposed to do?" asked a bewildered Daisy.

"This sheet," said the host as he handed her the piece of paper, "Has the most crucial instructions they need. If they succeed the task within thirty minutes, then you will be awarded 25,000 coins. Time starts now." As the host left the car, Daisy grabbed the sheet of paper and read it carefully. At that same moment, the small television in the Limo 1 was turned on, and the four of them looked at the screen in interest and saw Daisy, scrutinizing a piece of paper carefully.

"It's Daisy!" Peach said. "What is she doing?"

Daisy's paper had the following:

Mission: Transfer the boiled egg from Limo 1 to Limo 2.

Rules: Exiting the vehicle in any way is not allowed. The egg is located in Limo 1 must be transferred within thirty minutes into the possession of the people in Limo 2. They are not aware of the task, and you must try your best to explain it to Limo 1.

Advantages: You can use body language to Limo 1, where they can see you via television. Mouthing words is PROHIBITED. You can see them and hear them back as well from your laptop. Limo 1 can speak with Limo 2 via walkie-talkie. 

To succeed: You must be able to notify Limo 1 about the task being of the transferring of the egg, who will then tell Limo 2 by walkie-talkie. Two holes must be made in the windows for a possible transfer. The drawing compass of Limo 1 can pierce into the back window and draw a perfect circle to create a hole. The plasma gun device in Limo 2 can make a hole in the windshield of Limo 2. The combination to get the gun in the box is 13224. The box is in the driver's seat, and they must break the window between the driver and the passengers to be able to reach the front window. Then, stick the vacuum hose out of the hole in Limo 1, with the egg placed inside it. Press the red button, and instead of suction, the air will be drawn out at full speed. Aiming must be accurate, as the egg will shoot from the hole in the window of Limo 1 to the windshield hole in Limo 2, thus a successful transfer.

Egg in Limo 1: Among the wine glasses

Walkie-talkie in Limo 1: Located under seat. 

Drawing Compass in Limo 1: Compartment in the floor

Vacuum cleaner in Limo 1: Compartment in the floor

Walkie-Talkie in Limo 2: Luigi's back pocket

Plasma Gun in Limo 2: Driver Seat, in a combination box

Daisy looked at the laptop screen and waved at them. They waved back happily, puzzled, as Daisy thought of what to do next. This will be challenging, she thought.

Peach, Birdo, Toadette, and Blooper looked up at the TV and saw Daisy, tilting her head up with her cup-shaped hand over her mouth.

"Is she trying to tell us something?" Birdo said. "She's trying to pretend she's drinking." Daisy kept on continuing her move.

"Drink? Do we have to find a drink?" Toadette said to the TV. Daisy nodded.

"The wine glasses!" Blooper said suddenly. Daisy nodded fully, her head fully going up and down as she smiled. Birdo and he grabbed the wine glasses hanging on the side of the limousine and removed them one by one. Under the third wine glass was an object that Birdo had spotted, and she held it up.

"An egg?" she asked. Daisy pointed forwards on her screen, and made a circle with the fingers.

"Is this what we're looking for?" asked Toadette. Daisy nodded, and then thought quickly. She put her hands in front of her as if she was gripping a steering wheel, and she pretended to drive.

"You want us to drive away?" asked Peach. "How?" Daisy shook her head, and put up two fingers in the air. She then pointed to somewhere off the screen.

"The second limousine is what she is trying to say," said Blooper. Again, Daisy nodded fully. She then pointed below to the ground repeatedly.

"The floor," said Peach. In the middle of the limo carpeting was a small indent that resembled a hidden compartment, and Peach went over to it and opened it quickly. Two items appeared: a vacuum cleaner and a drawing compass.

"Yes, more success," said Peach optimistically. "But now what?"

Daisy kept on pointing to the floor, and then stood up and pointed down under her. After a few seconds Blooper suddenly understood.

"Under the seat, right?" he said out loud. Daisy nodded and smiled, as Blooper hurriedly went to search the cushions under them. As Toadette went to observe the found items with Peach, Birdo searched along under the seats to look for any other things that could help them in any way.

"I'm really confused," said Toadette. "Is this a challenge? What's the goal and stuff?"

"From what I know," Blooper told the other three, "Daisy is trying to tell us to do something with the other limo, and I'm guessing it's also relating to her Volts Wagon as well. It's like a triangle."

"Oh, and you're so sure?" Birdo told him.

"What else could it be?" said Blooper, and then felt a small item within the cotton of the seats. It was a walkie-talkie. Daisy saw Blooper holding the walkie-talkie from her laptop and started to nod excitedly, as Blooper and the others looked at her for further instructions. She pretended to put a phone up to her ear, and Blooper followed the same action and held down the button of the walkie-talkie.

* * *

Lakitu, Doopliss, and Luigi were clueless in their trapped limousine, not having the faintest idea of what was going on. All was quiet until Luigi jumped at the sudden beeping sound coming from his pants pocket. As he stood up, Doopliss picked it out from his pants and answered it. 

"Hello! Who is this?"

"Is this Doopliss?" asked a voice, loud enough from the walkie-talkie that all three could hear the other person.

"Yeah, we're stuck in the limo and the driver has gone," Doopliss explained. "And this is the other limousine rider Blooper, isn't it?"

"You're correct. Now, I think we're in a challenge, because our car has stopped/"

"Oh? We're stopped too."

"And on our television screen, we see Daisy trying to signal us to do actions, but it has no sound," explained Blooper. "What do you see on your television?"

"We have none."

"Okay," said Blooper, and faced towards Daisy on the screen. She was doing the driving motion with her hands.

"The steering wheel?" Birdo asked. Daisy half nodded, and held up two fingers.

"Two steering wheels?" said Birdo quickly. "Umm, oh! The steering wheel in the other limousine!" Daisy nodded and did a thumbs up signal.

"Go to the steering wheel," Blooper said into the walkie-talkie.

"There's a glass that separates the driver area from us," Doopliss said back. Blooper looked at Daisy on the screen and saw her do a punching movement.

"You have to break it," Blooper realized. "Get into the driver's seat as quick as you could."

"Let me do this," said Lakitu. "Step back." As the other two sunk away into the seats with caution, Lakitu faced backwards and slammed as hard as he could into the glass. The glass shattered with a single strike, and Luigi and Doopliss did a golfer's clap.

"Let's all go," said Doopliss, as he and Lakitu slid their way through the cracked window and into the driver and passenger seats of the limousine. The windshield was shaded pitch black, much to the wondering of how it was even possible for the diappeared driver to previously drive.

"Hey, Luigi," said Lakitu, looking at the plumber sitting down on one of the comfy chairs. "Mind if you join us?"

"You guys can do it on your own," Luigi replied. "I feel kind of sick, so just solve it without me." Lakitu gave him a strange face before he faced back.

"A box!" noticed Doopliss, spotting a metal container placed on the driver's seat.

Back in Limo 1, Peach and Toadette were examining the two items they had found under the floor; the compass and the vacuum. Although they were sure the items had important jobs for the challenge, they had no idea what to do until Toadette accidentally punctured the cushion seat with the drawing compass needle.

"Daisy, what is this needed for?" Toadette said to the screen. Daisy put her finger forwards onto her other hand, and then made a circular motion.

"Make a circle?" Toadette said, puzzled. Daisy nodded.

"Blooper, we see a box with a combination on it," Doopliss called to the phone. "Try asking Daisy what the combination is."

Blooper faced the screen at Daisy. "Daisy, the other limo has a combination for a box, and do you know what it is?" She looked down at the piece of paper besides her, and looked back with one finger on her hand.

"One," Blooper said into the walkie-talkie. Doopliss changed the number on his case as Daisy held up three fingers afterwards.

"Three," Blooper continued. Daisy held up two.

"Two." After that, Daisy put up four fingers, then withdrew, and held up another four.

"That's one, three, two, four, four," Blooper said. "You got that Doopliss?"

"Yup!" he replied. He then went to open it by the handle, but it didn't budge.

"Not opening," Doopliss said. "Something's wrong."

* * *

The host was standing on the side of the street, not far from all the commotion. He looked down at his watch and saw that fifteen minutes had passed by. Fifteen minutes remaining.

* * *

It was a frustrating time of three minutes as Doopliss tried to open the case. The others, Birdo, Peach, and Toadette, were occupying Daisy with questions with little success. Blooper sighed heavily, and then decided to ask Daisy about the egg in her hand. 

"Daisy," asked Blooper, "What does this egg have to do with this?" Daisy made a circle with her right hand, and held up two fingers in the other. She then moved the circle towards her two fingers.

"The circle is the egg…" Birdo said slowly. Daisy nodded, and repeated the gesture with a broader travel of the egg going to her two fingers.

"Two fingers mean limousine two," Blooper said. Daisy nodded, and Blooper's face suddenly lit up.

"Oh! I get it! We have to throw this egg to the other limousine!" Blooper said in realization. Daisy started to nod crazily, and she smiled and put up two thumbs as she realized that they had finally understood their task.

"Wait, is that the mission, or is there more to it?" Daisy shook her head.

"That's not the mission?" asked Blooper. Daisy shook her head even more, and repeated the circle-fingers gesture.

"That's our only task," repeated Blooper. Daisy nodded and smiled, as they understood even more. She did the hand movement she had shown to Toadette while discussing about the drawing compass and Toadette picked it up from the ground. Then, Daisy drew a square in the air.

"The vacuum," Peach said, holding up the rectangular-shaped object. Daisy shook her head, and made the square motion again. She pointed at them.

"Square with us?" asked Toadette. Daisy shook her head again, and then made a circle motion with her fingers.

"Shapes? Circles?" Daisy smacked her head in desperation. She then drew the circle in the air again, and Blooper understood immediately. He grabbed the drawing compass and put it directly against the small area of the back window, sticking the needle directly into the glass. Daisy was nodding again and again, as the others watched Blooper.

"Wait, how do you do this?" Blooper wondered, jabbing the needle into the glass numerous times. Daisy drew a circle with her fingers.

"Let me do it," offered Birdo, but Blooper refused as he tried to poke holes into the back window repeatedly. Daisy was confused at Blooper's actions.

"We have to get a way to get to the others," he explained. Again and again, he attempted to break the glass by jabbing holes in it.

_Blooper looked so clueless as he attempted to create a hole in the back window. Not only was he doing it wrong, but he ignored our offerings and kept on doing it himself. He must have wasted an entire minute before he gave up, so I took the compass into my own hands._

Toadette jabbed the needle into the back window, and with the other needle, she traced a circle. The circular piece of glass was removed instantly, and a hole in the window exposed them to the outside air.

"Wow, I'm so stupid," Blooper admitted.

"You've never used a drawing compass before?" Toadette questioned.

"Well, I know how to use it," he said, "But I never thought of tracing a circle to make the hole." He and the others could see through the open hole, and saw the front of the limousine behind them.

"Halfway there," said Peach excitedly. "I'm wondering, is our time limited?"

"No idea," said Birdo. "But now the others have to make a hole in their window." Birdo looked at the television.

"We have the hole in the window," she told Daisy. Daisy looked pleased at their success, and the walkie-talkie rang again.

"We cannot open the case!" a desperate Doopliss shouted. "It's not working." Blooper looked troubled.

"Daisy, tell me the combination again," he said. Daisy held up one finger, then three, then two twice and lastly she held up four fingers.

"One three two two four," Blooper repeated. There was silence.

"That's a different combination than the one you first told me," Doopliss noticed. "Wait…I got it! The case is open!" Blooper looked relieved, and then looked at Daisy. She seemed clueless of the fact that she had cost them time with her initial incorrect combination.

"It is a…strange gun-like object," explained Lakitu. "Ask Daisy if she has any idea of what this is" Daisy, who could hear the words coming out of the walkie-talkie, made a gun symbol with her hand and pretended to shoot.

"Umm, I think you have to shoot the windshield," said Blooper. Daisy nodded, and did the shooting signal again.

"Is there a heavy recoil or anything?" a nervous Doopliss asked.

"Let me do it," said Lakitu, grabbing the plasma gun from him. He aimed at the front window with little hesitation and pulled the trigger. The rays struck the windshield, leaving a circle mark on the window that was the color of lime-green.

"Umm, we shot the window," said Doopliss. "The window has a green circle now."

"Shoot it again," Blooper said. Lakitu aimed once again and pulled the trigger, and this time, the circle had fallen out. A hole was created in the front window, and as they both looked outside, they were able to see inside of the other limo through their compass-created hole.

"I see you!" said Lakitu. "Go stick, your hand out." Blooper and the other looked through their hole to see the face of Lakitu in the other limo, waving his hand happily. Two holes in two limos; all that was needed was a safe transfer. Daisy was clapping her hands in joy, and then gripped her two hands in front of her and moved it around.

"She's telling us to use the vacuum," Peach realized.

* * *

If the players had looked a little to the right through their 12 inch holes, they could have spotted the host, looking patiently at his watch on the side of the street. Only five minutes were remaining to complete their task.

* * *

"Umm, turn on the switch on the vacuum!" Birdo said. Daisy nodded, and then made the circle shape with her fingers. 

"The egg," said Toadette. "The egg has to go with the vacuum?" Daisy nodded, then raised her left arm in the air and waved it freely.

"Wave? Do we have to wave something?" Toadette asked her. Daisy kept on repeating her wiggling motion, and got her right hand with the circle to combine into the wave. The four were confused, as time started to run out.

"Oh, put the egg into the hose of the vacuum!" Blooper exclaimed. The others looked in him in surprise as he grabbed the egg and put dropped it into the hose, then he looked at the screen to see a happy Daisy. Blooper had correctly identified the next step.

The last motion Daisy had to show them was her index finger pushing down onto her other hand. She was mentioning to press the button, and Blooper had caught up with it.

"You want us to shoot the egg from this vacuum by sticking it out of this hole," Blooper concluded, "And you want us to aim it directly so that it goes directly into the hole of the other limousine windshield." Daisy was thrilled at Blooper's statement, and answered it with excited nods.

"We _really _need to be careful," Toadette told him. "We have to make sure that the egg is safely transferred."

"I'll give them a heads up," Blooper said, and then spoke into his walkie-talkie.

"Doopliss! Lakitu!" Doopliss immediately answered back.

"Yeah?" he said.

"We will shoot an egg with a vacuum into the hole in your windshield, and make sure it makes it safely," Blooper told him.

"Huh?" said Lakitu. "Are you sure that's what we have to do?"

"I'm sure," Blooper replied. Birdo grabbed the end of the hose and stuck it snuggly so it situated out of the hole in the window, and Lakitu and Doopliss saw the hose sticking out of the other limousine, a good ten feet away from them. Will it actually make it?

"Where' the egg?" Lakitu asked.

"It's in the hose," said Blooper. "Okay, you see where it's going to aim?"

"I do," said Doopliss. "A little more down!"

"No, I think it's perfect," said back Blooper/

"I think you should aim the hose a little bit down," said Peach in agreement with Doopliss. Toadette and Birdo agreed too, making it seem that Blooper was the only one who currently favored its aiming position.

"It'll be forced down on its way in the air," Blooper argued. "It's perfect."

"Come on, just a bit more down," Lakitu spoke. Birdo grabbed the hose of the vacuum instead and aimed it further down, much to Blooper's disappointment. Doopliss looked at the hose's alliance with their hole and nodded.

"Look's very good," he said in hope. "Look's nearly perfect."

"We're going to do it," Toadette said to Daisy on the screen. She replied with her crossed fingers.

"Oh please, don't let the egg miss," Lakitu prayed. "Please let us win this." He and Doopliss watched tensely as they waited for the egg to sail in the air.

"Activate draw-air button, the red one," Blooper commanded. As Birdo was holding the hose perfectly in place, Toadette went over to press the button.

"Let this transfer safely," Peach said anxiously.

"Is everything set?" asked Toadette.

"All set!" Birdo replied. Crossing the fingers on her own left hand, Toadette pressed the red button. The air started to whirr in the machine as she stepped back, and the hose started to rumble slightly as Birdo held her place with the hose as firmly as possible. This was it.

Doopliss and Lakitu saw the egg exit from the tip of the tube as the air gushed out, and saw the flying egg sail like they had expected. Closer and closer it flew towards them until it struck the open circle of their windshield, the boiled egg landing onto Doopliss' sheet. He shouted victoriously, and so did Lakitu as he picked up the egg into his own hands. A successful transfer.

"We did it! We did it!" were the words that were emitted from the walkie-talkie, as the four of them were ecstatic. Daisy started to laugh with joy as she seemed to exit from her own vehicle.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Birdo said. "Challenge success!" The doors of the limousine clicked, and Toadette turned around to the handle to see that the doors had been unlocked. One by one they exited, and so did the other three in the limousine behind them. The sunlight was something the contestants were happy to see, and they were also happy to see the host, standing besides Daisy.

"So, I see that Lakitu has the egg in his hand," the host realized. Everyone clapped and cheered as Lakitu proudly displayed it.

"This challenge had required a great deal of teamwork, and I am impressed that your transfer was a success." The eight of them looked at each other happily.

"But there _was _a time limit," said the host. Everyone's hopes suddenly sank at his words. Time limit? Since when?

"There was a maximum time of thirty minutes," the host told them. "And at the time when the egg had entered Limousine two…" The deafening silence and suspense was almost unbearable for the players, as they waited for the answer.

"…you still had exactly one minute and twenty four seconds remaining. You have won!" The eight players clapped victoriously, knowing that they had won the challenge and the money.

"Daisy, would you like to tell them how much this Egg challenge was worth?" McBallyhoo offered Daisy.

"It's 25,000 coins to our team pot," she said smiling, as they all clapped again at their huge money addition.

**Team Pot**

**30,000c**

"Wow, I'd be already happy to go home with just that much so far," Lakitu commented. The others laughed, thinking along the same lines too.

"So I guess the Mole had his or her troubles during this challenge," the host said. "But did the Mole really keep it that much of a secret? As I watched all eight of you through different cameras, I did notice that Luigi had not been helping at all during the thirty minutes."

"I was…tired," Luigi said. "I assumed the others would have succeeded without me, and they did."

"What about Daisy?" the host questioned. "Times of struggles occurred when she displayed the wrong combination to the others."

"I did?" said a surprised Daisy.

"Yes, you told me the wrong numbers on the first time around," Blooper told her.

"Oh," was all Daisy could say.

"Could it have been the confident Blooper?" said the host, "Solving the steps of the challenge seemed to be a breeze for him. Keep in mind the moment where he fought his way to keep the previous aiming of the hose. If the others hadn't of disagreed and aimed it differently, the egg surely would have missed the hole." Blooper looked around at the others.

"These things are the small stuff to consider," the host told them. "But for now, who wants to go back into the limousine and continue to Noki Village?" The group replied in agreement, and on their way to their next destination their thoughts were travelling with possibilities.

* * *

**Well, a success for a team, and the Mole's attempts had failed. What will await the group at Noki Village? Stay tuned for more…**


	4. Disgusting Cuisine

**Episode 2 (part 2)**

Noki Village; the nearly exact parallel of the known Pianta Village. Now there were roads going through the pathways that connected the islands, and buildings were built as well. It was like a more whimsical and bay-ish Delfino Plaza.

"Wow, I've never been here," Peach said, looking out the window.

"Hey," noticed Blooper. "Why can we see out the window clearly, when back again two hours ago during the challenge it was pitch black?"

"Probably to give us the more trapped feeling," Birdo thought. The two limousines made their way to a building that looked like a restaurant, because of the fact that it _was_ a restaurant. The seven of them stepped out the long cars as Daisy stepped out with the host.

"Well, it's 10:30," the host said. "And you guys have had no breakfast, nor lunch. And do you know what that means?" The others looked at him with no answer.

"Brunch!" he exclaimed. The others didn't know whether they should cheer lightly or clap, so they did both.

"This restaurant is one of the most famous of Noki Village's," he told them. "Unique food. Great inside. Follow me." The rest followed him as he stepped inside.

The restaurant was magnificent; the chairs were all plush and were able to recline, and four aquariums were placed into the walls in the different corners of the large room. The place was rather crowded, so the host and the others went up the spiraling staircase to the second floor.

"I felt so claustrophobic down there," Toadette admitted.

"Well, we have our own private table up here, so no worry," said the host. The upper floor had various flower decorations all around, making it as attractive as the lower floor.

"Are some of these flowers real?" wondered Peach, touching a flower in a pot that had three shades of color.

There was a large round table in the back of the room with eight chairs, with a circle-shaped glass plate in the middle of it that, guessed by the others, could spin around. The strange thing was that in front of each chair was a plate, roofed with a food cover

"Sit down!" the host ordered. "Pick your seat wisely, but randomly." As the contestants randomly picked their seats, the order from the seat closest to the standing host to the next person clockwise went so:

-Blooper

-Peach

-Toadette

-Birdo

-Luigi

-Doopliss

-Lakitu

-Daisy

"Now, we have a challenge for you," the host said. The contestants were rather expecting it, and felt optimistic from their last challenge win.

"In front of each of your seats on the rotating glass is a plate, with a cover," the host explained. "As you can see, the covers are obviously concealing the meal under it. Now, each of you is allowed to shout an order for the circular plate to move, and after the last order, the plate in front of you will be yours. Anyone is free to make a switch of seats right now."

"Daisy, do you mind if I can be last?" Lakitu asked quickly. "I really want to make the last decision."

"Oh, umm, sure!" she said, not minding at all. They switched their seats, and Lakitu sat next to Blooper.

"There can only be a maximum of two passes during this challenge to skip your dish," the host said. "So at least six people must eat their catering."

"Why wouldn't we a eat?" Luigi wondered out loud. "I'm starving!" The others replied the same.

"There is a little something I forgot to add," the host warned. "The delicacies of the Nokis'...might be a bit unfamiliar to you guys. We call those foods the 'Acquired.' However, there are two out of the eight plates that have a rather recognizable dish that I doubt any of you would turn down. Those are called the 'Accustomed.' If this challenge is succeeded, then you will be awarded twenty thousand coins. Ready to start this challenge?"

"Yeah!" Twenty thousands coins would be a great addition.

"Blooper," the host said, looking at him. "First move please." He looked rather baffled, and then made his mind.

"Two to the right," he said. The host turned the circular table two dishes to the left, and everyone was displayed with a different one. All were curious of what lay under the lids. The host looked at Peach.

"Four right," she said. The table was spun four plates clockwise.

"One, umm, right," Toadette decided. The table was turned clockwise an additional plate.

"I will say a…five left," Luigi said. The table was spun counterclockwise.

"Three left, I guess" Birdo ordered. Three left it was spun.

"Uh, another left three," Doopliss said. The table was spun even more.

"Two to the right," Daisy decided, as the table was moved two plates clockwise.

"Three rights," Lakitu ordered. The table was turned one last time, and everyone looked in front of them to see their covered plate.

"Remember, only two passes are allowed," the host said. "And good news to those who turn out not to have the stomach!" He lifted something up from the ground and put it right in the middle of the circular glass. It was a metal bucket, as everyone shivered.

"If you use it, a pass is counted," he told them. "Okay Blooper, open your cover!" Everyone turned to Blooper, and he lifted the metal cover with anticipation.

"Uh…what the heck is that?" he said with a look of disgust. The others looked at the contents on Blooper's plate with equal horror; it represented a spiraling sausage.

"You have an Acquired; that is called a black pudding," the host explained. "Six inches long, it's made out of cow's blood that is congealed enough to take the shape of a sausage." Daisy looked away in revulsion, as the others looked at it with the same horror.

"I didn't know this game would be a this nasty!" Luigi exclaimed.

"I didn't know this show would suddenly turn into Fear Factor," Peach argued. Everyone laughed nervously

"And how much is this challenge worth?" Blooper asked.

"Twenty thousand coins. Oh, and one more thing. There is a time limit of five minutes for each plate."

"Well, let me try," Blooper said reluctantly. He lifted the sausage, and some others were even offended at the sight of Blooper touching it. With only little hesitation, he took a bite from the hanging end. A few of them cringed and squealed as he took his first bite.

"You actually bit it!" said a disgusted Daisy.

"How does it taste?" asked Lakitu.

"Dry," replied Blooper, and then made a face of disgust. "Dry and liquid in the inside." Daisy tried to hold in any vomiting as reddish liquid started to drip out of the "sausage".

"Gross," Birdo said with disgust. Blooper took bite after bite, eating the exotic food as the plate was nearly filled a centimeter high of the cooked blood.

"Surprised it still has the blood dripping out," McHallyboo commented. They looked at him with sick surprise then back at Blooper. He was trying his best to keep out any thoughts of sickness as he ate inch by inch.

_The sausage black pudding was very nasty. I tried to make it look like nothing to the others to show how simple the challenge seemed, hoping that my dish would be the nastiest out of the eight. It wasn't that simple, but at the same time, not that hard for me._

"An inch left," Doopliss told him. Blooper fitted the last inch of the food into his mouth and chewed it, as the others looked away for the third time. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and opened his mouth to reveal nothing left.

"Done!" McBallyhoo announced, as the rest of the players clapped and cheered for Blooper. Blooper looked rather fine.

"Would you like something to drink?" asked the host. Blooper nodded heavily, as a crew member brought him a glass full of water.

"Next is Peach," the host said. Peach slowly went over to lift her cover, and her eyes became wide with confusion. Extremely thin and white strips of a food were clumped together, being an inch wide and around eight inches long.

"An acquired, this is called Enoki," the host said. "And as mysterious as the Mole and a favorite of the Noki community, we will not reveal what it is."

"It looks like squid," said Blooper. Peach picked it up and saw that the long strips felt rubbery.

"Eww, I don't want to eat this," Peach said.

"Come on Peach," said Blooper. "At least it's not like Blood Sausage."

"Is it an animal?" the princess asked. The host only replied with a shrug, as Peach let the food go onto the plate.

"Guys, I really can't," Peach said. The others felt mixed.

"Please Peach, just eat it," Blooper told her. "For twenty thousand coins."

"Doesn't look that bad," Lakitu admitted.

"No…" Peach said, and pushed her chair away from the table. "Ugh, it looks so nasty."

"Tale a bite from it," Birdo told her. "Don't quit yet." But Peach just shook her head.

_I didn't even know what the stuff was, and I never put stuff that I don't know into my mouth. I refused._

"It's okay Peach," Daisy said, "I would have done the same."

"It didn't look that bad," Birdo couldn't help saying. Peach frowned at Birdo.

"Well, I guess it's a 'no' then," the host concluded, as the rest looked more determined to win for the team. He turned to Toadette.

"Toadette," said the host. "Lift your cover." Toadette did so reluctantly, and her food was revealed. She looked and held her nose at its unusual stench as the others stared.

"Another Acquired," the host explained, smiling at the third consecutive one in a row. "It's the fruit durian." The portion was one fourth of a durian, with the yellow, custard-like insides exposed. The smell was overwhelming and Daisy gagged in revulsion.

"I can't believe this is a fruit," said Toadette with disbelief, still holding her nose. She didn't look pleased at all.

"I can smell it from here," said Daisy with disgust, who was across the table from Toadette. "Eww, it smells like rotten meat."

"It's rather fresh, actually," the host said. "But its smell is so bad that it isn't allowed on airplanes."

"That's sounds extreme," realized Doopliss.

"Toadette, please eat it already," Peach said, looking away from the table. "Not to be rude it any way." The others couldn't agree with her more.

"Up to you," Luigi said. Toadette slowly picked up a clump from the inside of the durian and lifted the yellow innards. The others and her winced, and Toadette put it into her mouth.

"Eww, does that taste good?" Luigi asked with half-closed eyes. Toadette swallowed with difficulty.

"Very sweet," she said, her mouth full, "But pure nasty." She chewed and chewed even more, as the others watched supportively. Then Toadette gagged.

"Ahh, puke bucket!" Luigi exclaimed.

"No, I'm fine," Toadette reassured. She took another clump from the durian and put it into her mouth. Peach looked sick, and so did Daisy as she watched Toadette swallow the clumps one by one.

_The taste was sour and unusually sweet at the same time. Eww, I felt like throwing up, but I held my nose the entire time. The fact that it looked like decayed animal stomach almost made me quit, but I kept reminding myself that it was just a fruit. _

"Mphp, ahh!" was the sound Toadette made as she opened her mouth. The others clapped and cheered.

"Whoo, Toadette!" said Lakitu.

"Thanks to Toadette with her consumption, that's three, with one pass," said McHallyboo. He looked at Birdo.

"There is a one third chance that the next food is an accustomed," the host pointed out to her.

Birdo opened the cover of her plate hoping for a food similar to Toadette's. She loved fruit, but when she saw her plate she gasped.

Just looking at it made them all sick. The bowl was filled with something that looked like thick noodle, accompanied with a thick brown liquid and a spoon. Birdo backed up against her chair as much as she could.

"Unfortunately, you have gotten an acquired. This is shiokara," the host said. "A brown liquid paste in a bowl that is combined with fermented squid guts." Birdo covered her mouth in shock, and the others replied in disgust and terror at the bowl.

"That's just nasty," Luigi said, looking at it. "I feel even more sick."

"Oh my gosh," Birdo said. "I feel sick just staring at it."

"Come on, Birdo," Blooper said. "You can eat it!" Birdo looked down at the bowl and lifted the spoon full of the liquid and a piece of the squid guts, as the others said more positive words. She closed her eyes and put it into her mouth.

_The taste was indescribable. When the stuff actually went into my mouth, it tasted so horrible and raw. One spoonful was horrible, and ten more to go would have been impossible for me._

Birdo closed her eyes and swallowed the squid viscera. She resisted any thoughts of throwing up and went to go for another spoonful. Then after swallowing the second, she went for a third.

"Birdo, that's it!" said Toadette. "Calm your mind."

She dropped her spoon and went to grab for the bucket.

"Bucket! Ahh!" Luigi exclaimed. The host hurriedly went to push the pail towards Birdo as she grabbed it and faced away. The others looked in disgust and pity at the first bucket victim.

"You okay?" Toadette asked her. Birdo wiped her mouth and smiled.

"I don't think anyone would want to use the bucket from now on," she told them. The rest of them laughed as the host brought out a new metal bucket.

"Well, the metal bucket has finally been used," the host said. "Unfortunately, that is two passes. That is all I can give, so the rest of you must be able to finish your plates in order for this challenge to be won." As the group was filled with worry, Luigi looked hopeless, and so did Daisy.

"Luigi," the host said. "Lift your cover." Luigi hesitantly went to lift the cover, and closed his eyes right away has he pulled it up.

"I don't want to know! I don't want to know!" he shouted, and then opened his eyes to look down at the dish. As the rest burst into laughter, Luigi saw that positioned on the plate in front of him was a pastry, drizzled with strawberry syrup and stabbed with a silver fork.

"Lucky Luigi, you have unveiled the first Accustomed," the host announced. "A mini peach tart".

"Mama mia!" he exclaimed. "I love peach!" As he ate with joy, the others felt fortunate with the fact that Luigi had received one of the Accustomed. One was still left, and Doopliss, Daisy, and Lakitu hoped for it.

"I feel insulted," Blooper said, looking down at his blood-covered plate.

"Me too," said Birdo, as she looked down at her bowl full of fermented squid guts.

"Well done," the host said. "Luigi has courageously eaten his peachy delight, and there is only three more to go." Luigi licked the lefover strawberry syrup off from his plate.

"Now, I must warn you," the host added. "There are three people left, and two Acquired dishes to go. All three must complete their food to win the twenty thousand coins, or the group will win nothing. It's up to the remaining three." Doopliss was next.

"As much as I want the Accustomed," he said, "I hope Daisy gets it in order to save a metal bucket." As Daisy looked happy and at the same time lightly inflicted by Doopliss' joke, Doopliss lifted the cover and groaned.

"No…," he said. "Nooo!" A long clump of green paste lay across the plate, which was as long as an index finger. A number of the others couldn't tell what it was.

"An Acquired taste, usually eaten with something else such as fish or sushi," said the host. "You have wasabi, a strong paste spice which is made out of horseradish"

"Shucks for you," Blooper said. Some of the others started to laugh at Doopliss' misfortune.

"Do I have to eat it whole, I does it get accompanied with something else?" Doopliss asked the host.

"Nothing else." Doopliss looked cheerless.

"Gulp it down in one shot," Blooper suggested.

"Yeah, then throw up afterwards," said Daisy.

"I really don't want to," Doopliss said. "Oh peers, please encourage me." The other seven took no hesitation and started to say his name in a positive manner, again and again.

"Doopliss! Doopliss! Doopliss!" Doopliss went to scoop the green paste with his fingers, and he lifted it to his mouth unwillingly. With closed eyes he put the entire string into his mouth and swallowed as hard as he could. The others clapped happily.

"It's freakin' hot," he said, fanning the inside of his mouth. After a few moments of silence he got up from his chair.

"My throat his burning!" he gasped. "Water!" As the panicked others looked at their poor team member, a cast member immediately filled a glass with water and gave to Doopliss, who engulfed the water within seconds.

"Oh my gosh," said a worried Toadette. "That must have been painful." The cast member filled Doopliss' cup once again, and Doopliss downed it at rapid speed. Once he settled down, the clapping was heard again.

"Doopliss, you brave soul," the host said. "You have brought the team closer to success, but will the remaining two do the same?"

"Please, please give me the Accustomed," Daisy said out loud. Lakitu just looked down at the plate in front of him.

"Daisy, open your cover," the host said. Everyone held their breath as Daisy's hand went over to the lid of her plate. Being the most grossed out of the previous six dishes, they only prayed for Daisy's food to be something familiar to her.

"Accustomed, accustomed, accustomed…" Luigi repeated. "Accustomed…" The lid was lifted, and what was revealed made Daisy look in wonder. The others looked in inquisitiveness at the single egg on her plate.

"It's an…egg?" said Doopliss.

"Open it to discover what it is," the host instructed. Daisy picked up the egg reluctantly.

"Eww, there' probably something disgusting inside," she said. "I'm really scared." The others hoped that nothing vile was within it. If so, their chances would be over.

"Could be," said Lakitu, "Or it could be me who has the Acquired."

"I think that looks like a custard egg," Birdo said. "Let's hope so." Daisy cracked the egg by hitting it against the table, and she slowly took the shell off piece by piece.

"It's…hard boiled," Blooper noticed. As Daisy took off the next shell piece, she saw that the food wasn't disgusting. At least to the Nokis.

"AHHHHHH!" she shrieked, dropping the egg onto the plate as she got out of her chair. Some of the others looked in disgust at what Daisy had revealed. Inside the boiled egg was something a bit out of the ordinary.

"That looks sick!" said Peach. "Sick as in wrong."

"Aww, hell no we can win now," Luigi said.

"Sadly, you have received the Acquired," the host explained to Daisy, who was standing behind her chair as she stared at the food in terror. "That is balut, a boiled egg with the duck embryo nearly developed inside." The players looked appalled as they saw the head of the tiny duck, lifeless and sticking out of the boiled egg covered in a special liquid.

"Get that away!" Daisy screamed. "Get that thing away!" Doopliss quickly put the lid back onto the plate. The group looked enthusiastic at Daisy' reaction, but at the same time, they knew that they had lost.

"Well, I believe that is a 'no', thus you now have three passes," the host told them all. "You have failed your challenge." The group was devastated.

"Let's see what Lakitu has under his plate," the host suggested. With an ambiguous face Lakitu lifted his cover to reveal his food; a pepperoni pizza.

"Oh well, it's too bad I got the Accustomed," he said.

"And it's also too bad that twenty thousand coins has been thrown down with the chum bucket," said the host.

**Team Pot**

**30,000c**

"Had the Mole had something to do with this? Should it be assumed that the Mole was the one who had not eaten his or her food, or did the Mole play it safe for this round? Do not forget the details of this stomach-churning challenge as you fill out your execution quiz."

"Already?" asked a surprised Toadette.

"No, no," the host said to her. "I was referring to later on. Of course, you don't have to worry about it since you will be the highest scorer. Right?" The thought of another execution brought them all into the feeling of dread. Although they were all happy that they had survived the first one, unlike poor Rawk Hawk, they all wanted to pass through just one more.

"Well, ready for your real lunch?" the host said. Cheers of relief filled the room as the rotating glass table was replaced with smaller plates of oyster, seaweed soup, and calamari. Much better than boiled duck fetus.

* * *

**Lakitu: The egg transfer challenge was so difficult, and we couldn't have pulled it through without teamwork. When the egg landed into our limousine I was literally shouting with victory. And then I saw Luigi…**

**Doopliss: As much as I liked our great addition to our team pot, I couldn't get the fact of why Luigi had decided to not contribute at all. I knew he wasn't sick, and he just sat there relaxing on one of those nice comfy seats as the rest of us actually did something.**

**Toadette: I was definitely looking at Blooper the entire time during the Egg challenge. He knew just too much of the instructions to do, and I doubt that he was that smart to be able to know each step one by one. But then he fumbled and wasted time with the simple drawing compass as he tried to make a hole in the window, and then he insisted to aim the vacuum incorrectly. That vacuum thing really raised an eyebrow, because it was something that made us so close to failing at the end.**

**Blooper: I was suspicious of Daisy when she had told me the wrong combination to the plasma gun box. It may have been a mistake, and yes it was possible, but not when you have the paper right besides you. Afterwards, she seemed unusually unaware of the fact she had done so. But then again…she tried very hard on every other part of the challenge, which now puzzles me. Is she the Mole redeeming herself, or was she trying her ultimate best?**

**Peach: Oh, the Acquired/Accustomed game was a toughie. I didn't know what we were going to go through, and I refused at the food I got. I never put anything I don't know into my mouth, and so I ended up losing for the team. I have to say that Luigi and Lakitu look the most suspicious, and Blooper from the Egg game had given me some thoughts. Then again, Lakitu's switch with Daisy during the Food challenge seemed very odd to me.**

**Luigi: The reason for me to not be part of the Egg Transfer game was because I knew I wouldn't be helpful at a all. At the Food game, I was so happy that I had gotten a peach tart. Unique food, yet a favorite of mine. For whom I think the Mole is…I am not sure yet.**

**Daisy: Oh my god...when I saw that boiled duck fetus, I freaked out completely.**

**Birdo: I was looking at Peach since yesterday and her movements in the Food challenge have added my suspicion to her. She did not take a bite from her unknown food at all, and chickened out without even attempting. I don't know, but with twenty thousand coins at stake I looked at it as a reasonable act. It could be just her, or sabotage. **

**Daisy: The challenge made me look at Lakitu as my number one suspect. He switched seats with me at the last second to make the last move of the plate spinning. And with my suspecting of him being the Mole, he knew which plates had the two accustomed dishes, and purposely made the final spin around to give me one of the nasty ones. I'm still pondering on whether it makes sense or not…**

With nothing to do, the group had the entire time from twelve to six o'clock to wander the village. It was a free time for the contestants, who either traveled along with another or embarked on their own trek. But before they had left the restaurant at eleven that morning, the host had given each of them a case. A cylinder, bronze colored case that could fit into any pocket.

"Keep these cases I have given you wherever you go," he ordered them. "You must keep these on you at all times. Is that clear? Inside the container is some crucial information on the Mole. But do not, and I repeat, do NOT ever open your case ever, or there will be consequences."

* * *

**Just what do the bronze containers contain? Who will be the Mole's second victim? Those to come in the last part of Episode 2.**

**Look out for the hidden clues pointing to the identity of the Mole.**


	5. Enemies Galore

**Episode 2 (part 3)**

Six hours of free touring and it was time for the players to return to their hotel in Noki Village for dinner.

"Well, today's items are," the host said, reading off from the menu, "Blood sausage, Enoki, fermented squid guts, boiled egg with the duck still inside, and durian." He looked up to see the stunned faces of the players.

"Just kidding with you guys," he said, as the group was relieved immediately. "Enjoy your rather regular food." Plates came down onto the table later on as the contestants ate, and as they ate, Birdo had been considering something in her head from their previous game.

**Birdo: It seems a bit coincidental that one of the foods during the Acquired/Accustomed game was a peach tart. In other words, it might have been one of those hidden clues that the host told us to look out for. Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing things a little too much. **

**Blooper: I knew how unusual I appeared during the Egg Transfer game. I just need to bring the others to realize the fact that I am not the Mole.**

**Daisy: I had nightmares about the balut, eww, I woke up thinking about it.**

**Lakitu: It was pure chance that Daisy had to get the wrong food. She thinks it's me for making the last table turn, and she can think whatever she wants on who sabotaged the game.**

**Luigi: Gee, I'm clueless…I need to actually pick someone as being the Mole now. I've eliminated me, Doopliss, and Rawk Hawk. Haha, it just occured to me that Doopliss is an actor. I think I might be getting somewhere.**

**Doopliss: The touring of Noki Village was rather awkward and fun at the same time. I just don't know why we had no challenge during the six hours.**

In fact, there wasn't a challenge but a clue that someone passing by a pharmacy on one of the streets would spot on the floor. The only person who was able to spot it was Toadette, who made little use of it.

**Toadette: I don't know what made me stop there and look on the floor. A piece of paper had nails going through it to keep it in place in the pavement, and I thought to myself that it was a bizarre thing to see while walking. There were numbers…I think the first digit was a five.**

The first digit was not five, and she had completely forgotten what the numbers were.

**Toadette: I just wish I paid more attention to those numbers before I walked off. Could it have been an important clue?**

* * *

Morning came fresh for the eight players. The last time they had woken up was at six, but for this day they had been ordered to arrive down at the lobby by nine o'clock. 

"Well, all fresh and wide awake," the host noticed. The group seemed lively.

"Daisy, I see that you are wearing your same shirt from yesterday," the host said. She rolled her eyes. Both Daisy and Blooper were missing their personal belongings, and today was the final day of their torture.

"Now," he said. "I have a challenge." The group was suddenly engaged, ready to win more money for the team.

"From your lengthy tour around this town, I can assume you have memorized each and every street and corner of Noki Village," the host said. "There is a location in this village where a clue resides, and it's all up to you. You can win up to 40,000 coins."

"Oh sh--!" Luigi exclaimed. As much as the players laughed at Luigi's offending exclamation, the group was filled with excitement; forty thousand coins was the largest prize that they had ever been offered for a challenge. Lakitu, on the other hand, took notice in Luigi's sudden offensive swear.

"There is a twist," the host told them. "For every person who does not go enter the location after a time of fifteen minutes, you will receive 5,000 coins. But for every person who does enter the location in time, there will be a subtraction of 5,000 coins for each person. It's up to you to decide."

The group was left unsure. After the night of Rawk Hawk's execution, the team vowed to never take an unfair advantage over the others.

**Daisy: I wasn't sure how we were going to play this game, and whether some of us would be tempted to take the chance to look at the clue or not. But just two nights ago we promised each other that none of us would take a beneficial move for ourselves. This challenge has a possibility of breaking up the team.**

"Fifteen minutes from now, our crew members will notify you that you must return," the host told them. "If you do not return back to the hotel within twenty five minutes, money will be subtracted." The group nodded.

"Now, who would be the one willing to embark first?" said the host. The players looked at each other.

"I'll go," Lakitu said. The host handed him a piece of paper, and Lakitu set off slowly out the door. The host looked at his watch.

"Next," called the host after thirty seconds had gone by. Doopliss raised his hand, and he was given a piece of paper as he set off. The group got more anxious at the head-starts of the two players, as another thirty seconds had passed.

"Next," the host said.

"Me," Daisy called out immediately. She was given the piece of paper as she went out of the building. One minute passed by.

"Next?"

"I'll go next," said Blooper. He headed out of the hotel with the paper in his hand, and two minute passed by. The intervals were getting longer.

"Who's to go next?" the host asked.

"I will," Toadette said. The paper was given to her and she headed out of the hotel. Three minutes passed by.

"I'll go next," said Peach, as she left the hotel with the paper. Another long three minutes had gone by, and Birdo and Luigi waited.

"Who's to go?" the host said. Birdo and Luigi looked at each other.

"It's fine that I can go, right?" Birdo asked Luigi. He nodded and shrugged.

"I'll go next," Birdo said. She was given the paper on her way out, as Luigi was left by himself. He sighed heavily.

"Well Luigi," McHallyboo said. "It is accurate to say that you have a great disadvantage here. You only have five minutes to go searching."

"I wouldn't have looked for the clue anyway," Luigi said, shrugging.

"Well," the host told him, "As the last person to embark in the Clue challenge, you will not be participating in the challenge at all." Luigi raised his eyebrows.

"Please follow me," the host said, as the two of them headed back to the hotel elevator.

* * *

Birdo had immediately sat down on the stairs in front of the hotel. She would refuse to look at the extra clue in risk of the team's money. A loyal act or a cover up? 

Lakitu, the first one to leave the hotel read the paper right away.

_When you walk into this, it hurts._

_When a hamburger walks into this, they serve no food._

_When a horse walks into this, why the long face?_

Confused but being the one with the most advantage, he walks further into the town.

Doopliss understood the riddle seconds after reading it. He knew exactly where the riddle was pointing at.

Daisy is confused at the start, and walks in a direction opposite of where the bar is. It was safe to say that she was separated and lost.

Blooper had misinterpreted the clue for a restaurant he had seen the previous day, called "The Iron Maiden". How he came up with it is unknown.

Toadette tried to think of anything that the riddle could be relating to. Trying to remember the town's navigation, she headed slowly onwards.

Peach is lost and bewildered at the riddle on the paper, but she had a feeling that the building was far away.

But the six who were searching for the unknown location had to ask themselves one question; would they be willing to trade team money for info on the Mole's identity?

"The local bar," Doopliss asked a small Noki. She replied by pointing down towards the street, and Doopliss ran in the direction. In the inside of him he couldn't decide on his decision on whether or not he should risk the act, but he had an urge to break away from the union of the team.

"Do you know what this means?" Peach said, showing a Noki the piece of paper with the riddle. The Noki shook his head in confusion. Peach sighed and headed down towards another street.

It had been six minutes already since Lakitu, the first to embark, had started his search. Toadette was walking towards the corner of the pharmacy, and to her surprise she saw that the clue she had seen yesterday was still nailed to the floor. She examined the numbers once again carefully.

_6-6-5-3-4-7-8-7_

"Toadette!" Lakitu said who had just turned around the corner and spotted her. He looked at Toadette who was looking at the numbers, puzzled.

"I think it's a clue," Toadette told him. "But wow, they have to seem so difficult." Lakitu looked along with her, and then decided that it was useless.

"Follow me," he said. "I think I know where the clue for this game is located." Repeating the numbers again and again in her head, she stood up and looked at Lakitu.

"I'm not sure I should look at the clue for this challenge," Toadette told him. "The team will hate me if I do look at the clue, cause remember that promise we all said the other day? That' s what we all agreed on."

"Just follow me," he reassured. "Let's at least make it to the location." Lakitu and Toadette went off down the street.

Daisy was misplaced on the wrong side of the town, and in defeat with nobody around to help her, she proceeded to retrace her steps back to the hotel.

"I can only hope nobody looks at the clue," she said, trudging her way back.

The first person to find the location was Doopliss, as he stared at the empty bar in front of him. There was temptation.

Two minutes later, Lakitu and Toadette had arrived at the bar. Little did they know that the location with the clue was right in front of them, yet both seemed unaware of the fact. Doopliss had left the place at the time they had arrived.

"Gee, this place looks odd," said Lakitu, looking at the empty bar building that was named "Flower Petal Bar". The sign at the door was flipped over to reveal the word CLOSED.

"I mean, is this the place?" Toadette asked him.

"Why don't you check, because I'm really not sure," Lakitu admitted. Toadette stared at the "Closed" sign.

"Ask them for directions," Lakitu told her. "I don't think that could be the place." Toadette took a couple of steps to the door.

"Ask who?" she asked, turning around back at him. "I mean, the bar is closed. I think we should just---"

"Just go and make sure," Lakitu said firmly. Pressured by Lakitu's words and with nothing else to do, she did so with hesitation. The door was unlocked, and Toadette stepped inside. Lakitu hoped for an answer outside the door, cautious about the remaining time they had.

Toadette saw the bar, nobody around with the lights off. But the first thing she saw was the imprinting on the wall; three words. She looked at them in confusion.

HESITANT AND FRUITY

With realization, she immediately exited the bar and went to meet an anticipating Lakitu. She shook her head.

"Nobody's there," she told him.

"Nothing?" he repeated. Then Toadette had remembered the strange message she had seen.

"There was an engraving in the wall that looks odd. I think it might have been…" She was silent, as she looked back at the bar.

"The clue?" Lakitu finished.

"Oh gosh, I hope not," she whispered, then turned away from him. "It _was_ the clue…" Toadette was upset, as she sat down on the front steps of the bar with a distressed look on her face. All Lakitu could do was walk around slowly, waiting for the time to expire.

* * *

"And Daisy has made it, finally," the host said, as an exhausted Daisy finally entered the hotel doors. The six others clapped at their rescued team member. 

"Peach," the host said, "And Daisy. Both of you had not returned under ten minutes since the time the crew members had notified you to return. Explanations?"

"I kinda lost my way," Peach said. "The town was difficult to walk through, and I was aware of the rule that I had to return quickly." She sighed.

"I was completely thrown off the chart," Daisy told them.

"Well," the host said. "Both of you had made a blunder, a blooper in your actions, and that is five thousand coins for each of you, subtracted from the team pot." The group was caught off guard.

**Team Pot**

**20,000c**

"And now, let's see what the others had done," the host said. "In the end, it was discovered that the Flower Petal Bar was the location with the clue to the Mole's identity." He faced Birdo.

"Birdo has been loyal to the team," explained the host. "She refused to even leave the front steps of the hotel in order to keep away from any chances of money loss. You can say she played this game the best, and will from now on. 5,000 coins." Birdo smiled, as the others applauded.

"Peach did not get any success," said the host. "Nor did Daisy. And although they had lost money for the group by showing up late, 10,000 coins is once up again. That is 15,000 for this challenge so far." The host turned to Blooper.

"Blooper had come close to finding the location," the host said. "But that made no difference. He did not enter the bar." Everyone clapped for Blooper.

"Doopliss had reached the location for the clue," the host said. Everyone turned to Doopliss, and waited for the host to finish his sentence.

"He entered the bar and read it," said the host. The six other players looked shocked, as Doopliss looked down at the floor.

"Would you like to explain?" the host said to him.

"I guess I wanted to know more," he told them, still not lifting his face from the floor. Some of the other faces looked astonished at what Doopliss had done.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking up. "I'm really sorry."

"Lakitu," the host continued, "Had reached the location, but did not enter." Birdo, Peach, and Daisy clapped for him.

"Toadette, however, did," said the host. Toadette turned away, upset and distraught and at the verge of tears.

"Explanation?" the host asked her. There was no reply.

"Lakitu?" the host said. "Any words to say, since you had been with Toadette?"

"Not that I know off," Lakitu told him. The host looked at Lakitu hard.

"Very well," the host concluded. "As you may have noticed, Luigi is missing. Then again, he did not enter the clue location. Thus the result is an added 5,000 coins." Daisy, Blooper, and Birdo were the only ones listening to McHallyboo.

"Six people had not entered the clue location in time, and you win 30,000 coins," the host wrapped up. "Two had seen the clue, and that is a subtracted 10,000 coins. You have added 20,000 coins into your team pot." The players were happy, although they were disappointed and aware that half of the prize total had disappeared due to the decisions of two of their team members

**Team Pot**

**40,000c**

"So a reward was given," the host said. "But money was lost. Peach and Daisy were aware of the rule that they had to return within ten minutes of the challenge ending. Could it have been so difficult to navigate after having a six hour tour yesterday afternoon?" Peach and Daisy pondered the thoughts themselves.

"Or maybe we could forget about that and look at the real suspects here," said the host. "Doopliss and Toadette had subtracted ten thousand coins each because of their own greediness." Doopliss looked down at the ground again, sighing heavily in regret. Toadette, who was leaning against Peach's shoulder and wiping her face from any tears, still faced backwards from the host.

"But there was one other thing that was not mentioned," the host told them. "And that is probably the reason why Toadette is currently upset right now. Lakitu had been the one who persuaded Toadette into entering the bar with the clue, resulting in lost money for the group." Lakitu was standing a distance away from the others with a guilty look on his face.

"Consider all these facts," said the host. "The next execution starts tonight."

* * *

**The team seems kind of separated. What role did the Mole play in the subtracted money? Or was the Mole playing safe once again during this challenge? Oh, and the execution is in the next episode part, whoops. Sorry for lying.**

**Watch carefully for the hidden clues pointing to the identity of the Mole.**


	6. The 2nd Execution

**Episode 2 (part 4)**

Night had arrived sooner then they had thought it would. They knew that the next execution was coming soon, and until then, the players did not expect any more surprises to come their way.

The first thing was Luigi at dinner. The one who was the most delighted was Daisy, and the others were too when they saw their eighth player join them for supper.

"Luigi has been notified about the results of the challenge he had missed," the host explained. "As being the last one to set off seemed quite unfair for him, I pulled him out of the brief game and told him some important things he ought to know for tomorrow instead." The others sipped their drinks quietly, as Luigi looked content.

"Now the news," the host said. "For a day or two, you will be sharing a hotel room with another person." Surprised faces, along with more sipping.

"In that case," said the host, "You are free to share your thoughts about who the Mole is with your new roommate. You will be happy." The players were uncertain about the host's last statement.

"Can we choose who we want to be with?" Daisy wondered.

"It's too late now," said the host quickly. "Now, listen immediately: Doopliss and Birdo, Room 785; Toadette and Peach, Room 786; Luigi and Blooper, Room 787; Daisy and Lakitu, Room 788." Birdo's face seemed content, and so did Doopliss'. Peach and Toadette were dancing quietly within themselves at their luck. Although Luigi seemed to not mind, Blooper tried to hide any feelings from showing on his face. Daisy sat on her chair with her mouth wide open, mostly from the sudden news, as Lakitu shrugged.

"I can all guarantee that your new roommates will become your best friends," the host said, smiling. They finished eating their Noki pasta.

* * *

After dinner, they had two hours to kill before one of them would be leaving. The eight of them brought their bags into their new rooms.

* * *

_Room 785_

Doopliss settled into the room, as Birdo sat on her bed. They looked at each other.

"The reason I don't mind being with you," Birdo explained, "Is because I don't think you're the Mole."

"Same here," Doopliss said. "I mean, you do seem to be playing along the rules well. I on the other hand, I kinda betrayed the team."

"Uh huh," Birdo agreed. "That first act of sabotage you did wasn't the best challenge to do so in. Why did you look at the clue?"

"Because I needed to know," said Doopliss. "Instead of just sitting there like you did, I actually searched for the-"

"Excuse me?" Birdo questioned. "I didn't just sit there for nothing. I saved the group an additional 10,000 coins. What are you talking about?" Doopliss sighed.

"The clue said, 'The Mole is Female'" Doopliss said. Birdo seemed surprised that Doopliss had told her.

"You're lying," she said quickly.

_Dang, I don't know what made Birdo think that I wasn't telling the truth. I could only assume that she had already been told the clue previously, or that she was skilled in the arts of interrogation. _

"What's your occupation?" Doopliss asked. Birdo seemed amused at Doopliss' topic change.

"I'm a florist, and gardener," she replied. "And it's not very high-paying, so that's why I joined this game to win the money."

"I'm an actor," said Doopliss.

"The perfect occupation for the Mole," Birdo said. "Never mind; who do you think the Mole is?"

"I think the Mole is Toadette," Doopliss told her. "And you?"

"Peach," Birdo replied. "Go first with your explaining."

"Well," started Doopliss. "She entered that clue location and started to cry afterwards because of Lakitu telling her or something. Her crying did seem kind of fake and over-reacted."

"You've never cried before?" Birdo asked him. Doopliss shrugged.

"Then the clue said, 'Fruity', in the challenge this morning," Doopliss said. "Remember, Toadette ate a durian during the Food challenge. And THAT's a fruit."

"Okay…" said Birdo, skeptic about the last part of his talking. "Well, Peach is my first gut instinct. Something about her makes it seem like she's acting like a fake person this entire time. She didn't even touch the Enoki or attempt to take a bite."

"Yeah, that was odd," said Doopliss. "And she arrived late in the Clue challenge, costing the team money from the pot."

"You know what," Birdo thought. "If your saying of Toadette being the Mole is true, then Peach should be executed by now. Vice versa."

"Peach _will _be executed tonight," Doopliss hoped.

"I'm guessing the opposite," Birdo said.

* * *

_Room 786_

Both Peach and Toadette were in the room, talking comfortably to each other.

"What are the chances?" Peach wondered. "Out of all the pairings, we get to be roommates."

"Permutations," Toadette replied. "I forgot what they were, but they're like all the combinations you could get from the number of people present."

"So what really happened at the Clue challenge?" asked Peach. "There was something with Lakitu." Toadette sighed.

"I got so mad afterwards," Toadette told her. "He told me to enter the bar and like, ask for directions. It was closed."

"What?" said a confused Peach.

"I know, it was so strange but I obeyed him and lost the money," Toadette said. "I was so upset, but thanks for helping me from dehydrating myself afterwards." The two of them laughed.

_When someone forces me to do something and it results in a consequence, I get really distressed and can't help it. Peach has been the best person to me in this game so far, and if she's turns out to be the Mole…then it's not true._

"Well," said Peach. "Do you mind telling me what the clue in the bar said?"

"Fruity," Toadette told her. "Wow, I must admit these clues are really confusing. Strange Noki."

"Fruity means insulting or offensive," Peach thought out loud. "So that means…somebody had done or said something insulting or offensive. Uh, did anyone swear lately?"

"Not that I know off," Toadette said. "The only person in mind right now that could be the Mole is Lakitu. He seems to be messing up games like the Baggage and Food challenges. And he lured me to entering the Clue location."

"Yeah, I've considered him a suspect," Peach noticed. "But then I remember Blooper in the Egg challenge. He seemed to be really confident, and he aimed the vacuum in the wrong direction until we were able to stop him."

"I forgot about Blooper," Toadette said. "Remember when he was eating the blood sausage? I think he kind of liked it."

"Huh?" said Peach, as they both laughed in confusion.

"Well, one of the foods _were _squid guts," Toadette realized. "Maybe it's pointing to him. I don't know.s"

"There are still a few more episodes left to watch out for," Peach reminded her. "We need to keep our eyes peeled."

* * *

_Room 787_

Although Luigi seemed to be okay in their hotel room, Blooper sat uncomfortably on the large bed.

"Why did the host pull you to the side, instead of participating in the challenge?" Blooper decided to ask him.

"Oh, he said I was at a disadvantage," Luigi explained. "It wasn't optional or a anything."

"What did he talk to you about after that?" Blooper asked him.

"That, I cannot a tell," said Luigi, "It's against the rules. But it does have something to do for tomorrow." A moment of silence.

"I think you're the Mole," Blooper broke out.

"Wha…what?" Luigi exclaimed. "You can't be a serious."

"Okay, maybe it's because I don't like you," said Blooper, "But all I can remember is the things you've done so far."

"Uhhh…like?" Luigi asked him.

"Like when you broke the rules in the Cliff Springs challenge," Blooper said. "Not only did I lose my watch, but we lost 15,000 coins." Luigi sighed.

_My roommate is a suspecting me as being the Mole. I had almost no idea where he was getting his ideas from. I mean, I did screw up a bit in the challenges._

"Well, I've been trying my best so far for the team," Luigi told him. "Except in the Egg game, I felt really tired." Blooper looked at him before searching through Rawk Hawk's belongings for the umpteenth time.

"There are a lot of others who sabotaged the games so far," Luigi said, almost to himself.

"So, who do you think the Mole is?" asked Blooper. "I mean, let's pretend you're not the Mole after all."

"I haven't the faintest idea," Luigi admitted. "And I think I a might have the chance of being eliminated tonight."

"No idea," Blooper said, repeating his words.

"Yep."

* * *

_Room 788_

Daisy was facing a similar situation like Blooper. Her main suspect Lakitu was sitting down on the bed besides her, and she didn't bother to look at him.

"So, any thoughts on whom the Mole could be?" Lakitu decided to say.

"I do," Daisy said, and then she turned around. "And you won't get offended by me saying that I think it's you?" Lakitu shook his head.

"It just seems like you're targeting me for some reason," said Daisy.

"Targeting you?" Lakitu said in a surprised tone of voice. "I'm not targeting you, at the least."

"It didn't really look like that in the Food game," Daisy said. "And you really ticked me off in the Baggage challenge. Look at me! I haven't changed these clothes since the first day we had met!" Lakitu obviously noticed.

"Also, you volunteer to do things so quickly," added Daisy.

"I'm trying to win this, just like the others and you are," said Lakitu, sighing. "You can think whatever you want, but when you get executed please don't look at me."

"I will be looking at you until another person does something highly unusual," Daisy said. "Doopliss had entered the clue location on his own will. As much as I would call him selfish, I can't help but feel that perhaps the clue wasn't the reason for his team money sabotage.

"I doubt it's Doopliss," Lakitu added.

"So, who do you think the Mole is?" she questioned him.

"Birdo," he said. "Although it might seem strange for anyone to suspect Birdo, her description of her clothes in the Baggage challenge was incorrect. That really raised suspicion."

"But she's been the most, you know, loyal so far," Daisy pointed out.

"True," Lakitu said. "But she did mess up in the Food challenge also. I'm also guessing that her act of just sitting down in front of the hotel steps was designed to take away any thoughts of distrust. Then my second suspect is Peach."

"You think Peach might be the Mole?" Daisy said doubtfully.

"Something about her had struck me," Lakitu explained. "But she's not my number one suspect."

_I didn't tell Lakitu about my suspecting of Peach as well. She had always been in my mind, all the way in the back as being the imposter. Then again, it was the first time I started to see the innocent side of Lakitu as he explained all his uncertainties about the players. I would have to just wait for the upcoming execution._

* * *

Two hours later, the clock struck eight. A knock was heard at Door 788.

"It's finally time for the quiz," the host said, as Lakitu and Daisy opened the door. "One of you must follow me as the first taker." Lakitu went and followed McHallyboo down to a room, where a laptop was on a table. Displayed on the laptop was the ten question multiple-choice test the eight of them would be taking.

_**1. What gender is the Mole?**_

_**-Male**_

_**-Female**_

_Throughout this quiz I would be basing my answers on three people. Birdo was definitely one of my choices._

Lakitu returned, and the next to take the quiz was Daisy.

_**2. What is the Mole's occupation?**_

_**-Actor**_

_**-Air Traffic Controller**_

_**-Gardener/Florist**_

_**-Hair Salon Owner**_

_**-Emergency Nurse**_

_**-Plumber**_

_**-Sea Scavenger**_

_**-Tennis Trainer**_

_Lakitu never left my mind as I answered the questions of the quiz. He has been my suspect from the first execution, and the second._

Blooper came out of Room 787, and was taken to the test room.

_**3. Which vehicle was the Mole located in the Egg Transfer Game?**_

_**- Limousine 1**_

_**-Limousine 2**_

_**-Volkswagen**_

_I went with the Luigi on many choices, and took the test as accurately as I could. Many answers were left ambiguous to me._

Next, Luigi was brought in to take the quiz.

_**4. In the Accustomed/Acquired challenge, in what order did the Mole spin the plate?**_

_**-First**_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third**_

_**-Fourth**_

_**-Fifth **_

_**-Sixth**_

_**-Seventh**_

_**-Last**_

_**5. What type of food did the Mole receive during the game?**_

_**-Acquired**_

_**-Accustomed**_

_I went with gut instincts on the answers I chose. I still wasn't picking a person out, however, and hoped for the best._

Out of Room 786 came Peach, who went to the quiz room.

_**6. Did the Mole succeed in eating their chosen food?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

_The more I thought over the choices, the more I wavered on different people. Blooper was one who I stayed on certainly._

Toadette was brought out after Peach returned, and she took the test.

_**7. At the beginning of the Clue challenge, did the Mole embark sooner than four minutes from the first player who had left or after?**_

_**-Sooner (including first embarked)**_

_**-After**_

_A majority of the answers were unknown to me, but the people I were choosing answers on were Blooper and Lakitu._

Room 785 was knocked on, and Birdo went out to the test.

_**8. What role did the Mole play during the Clue challenge?**_

_**-Viewed the clue**_

_**-Arrived Late**_

_**-Not present**_

_**-Other**_

_I kept Peach as an answer for number of my choices. I used the best of my ability on answering the quiz._

The last taker of the quiz, Doopliss, was brought into the quiz room.

_**9. What room number is the Mole currently assigned to?**_

_**-785**_

_**-786**_

_**-787**_

_**-788**_

_Basing my thoughts on Toadette, I picked my choices to the ones I felt were correct. I hoped for the right answers…_

And the final, most vital question:

_**10. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Daisy**_

_**-Birdo**_

_**-Peach**_

_**Blooper**_

_**-Doopliss**_

_**-Lakitu**_

_**-Luigi**_

_**-Toadette**_

* * *

The bags with the green thumbprint icons were brought down to the lobby, as each player placed down their packed belongings on the wooden floor and sat down on one of the two couches. The host was sitting down on a chair oddly shaped like a shell, and a television screen was besides him.

"Players," he said. "It's time for Execution #2. Anyone nervous?" There were nods among the eight.

"Well, only one of you has to be," the host clarified, "Because someone will go down as the Mole's second victim tonight. Now, this television besides me will show a green thumb print if you are staying, but if I type in your name and a red thumb print shows, you will be taken away from the game immediately. Ready to start?" There were only apprehensive stares from the players.

"We will start with Peach," said the host. Peach held Toadette's hand nervously, as her name was typed into the screen.

**P-E-A-C-H**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

She looked astonished, and Toadette looked happy.

"Lakitu," the host said. As his name was typed, Lakitu looked at the television tensely.

**L-A-K-I-T-U**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

The others saw Lakitu's face.

"Luigi," the host called. He sat still, tapping his fingers against his hands rapidly.

**L-U-I-G-I**

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

His mouth was open in surprise. Daisy smiled.

"Doopliss," called the host. Doopliss looked down at the wooden floor, nervous as the host typed in his name.

**D-O-O-P-L-I-S-S**

...

...

...

...

...

_**RED**_

He looked up from the floor at the red screen with an unexpected face, and as they others settled down at the finished tension, they looked at Doopliss sadly as he got up from the couch.

"Doopliss, we must go," McHallyboo said, as Doopliss went over to get his bag.

"Bye Doopliss!" called out Luigi and a few others, as the host and he went out through the hotel doors. With that, the second victim had disappeared.

"Doopliss, I must say I am sorry," the host said to him as they walked over to the parked taxi. The taxi was yellow, had the number two on it, and had a picture of two snakes being wrapped around a pole. Doopliss kept looking at the ground, grinning.

"I was assuming I was off," explained Doopliss. "I shouldn't-"

Doopliss lifted his bag from the ground slowly.

"Well, the bag is yours to keep," the host said in his most optimistic tone. "Oh, and remember that bronze container I gave you? Do you have it?" Doopliss pulled out the container from his back pocket.

"Did you open it?" the host asked. "Be honest, and then give it to me."

"I never did," he said truthfully, as he gave the container to him.

* * *

"Aww," said Luigi. "It's sad, because he was the most innocent person on my list."

"He barely sabotaged the game in any way," Birdo noticed. She looked cheerless, and so did some others.

"That's true," Toadette agreed, looking sadly at the television. It was still red, with the name Doopliss typed in. "And I never looked at him as a suspect."

"I remember the time when he stuffed the wasabi into his mouth," Lakitu remembered. "Boy, that look on his face could tell everyone that he wasn't the Mole." The others laughed softly, remembering his final moments.

"But the strange thing is," Peach said, "Is that he had looked at the clue with the Mole's identity during the Clue challenge."

"Well, I guess whoever he thought the clue was pointing to is not the Mole," Blooper told them. "Now that he had scored the least."

* * *

"What will you remember most, with the short time you've been with us?" McHallyboo asked him.

"Well," said Doopliss, trying to recall a challenge. "The Cliff Springs were the most exciting, especially when I was the last one to go."

"No doubt," the host said. "Well, good luck Doopliss. I plan to see you again." With that, Doopliss stepped into the passenger seat with his bag and the taxi drove off. The host turned around and entered the hotel.

"That is the second to go," the host told the seven players. "One less player and one less suspect. I guess there were two actors after all in this group, but with one gone…the other still remains."

* * *

**Doopliss, the weakest scorer, has been eliminated. What does Episode 3 have stored for the rest? Are there any more clues to appear, or have some already told the identity of the Mole? Let us wait...**


	7. To Emancipate the Hostage

**EPISODE 3**

_Obvious answers were the wrong choices that the second victim had made. Doopliss, a person nobody suspected as being the imposter of the group despite being a successful actor, had been the second to be sent home. The remaining seven are constantly suspecting each other from here to there and from dusk to dawn, picking out someone who seems most likely to be the saboteur. However, there's one of them who's constantly choosing themself 24/7 of the time. That person chooses him or her self because that person knows exactly who they are…the Mole._

* * *

Daisy

Surname: Floral

Birthday: May 12

Occupation: Hair Salon Owner

Toadette

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emercency Nurse

Blooper

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

Lakitu

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

Birdo

Surname: Bowtie

Birthday: June 2

Occupation: Gardener/Florist

Luigi

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

Peach

Surname: Toadstool

Birthday: February 3

Occupation: Tennis Trainer

* * *

Five o'clock in the morning and everyone was sound asleep. That is, except for one person. 

"Luigi, you have made it," the host called out, seeing the nervous fellow arrive in the open elevator of the Noki hotel. Luigi made his way to the host, sitting down on the couch.

"I guess I did," he said, smiling. To the host's surprise, he didn't look exactly tired.

"Well, as I told you yesterday, you were to arrive here at sharply 5:00 A.M. in order to not lose the team money." Luigi nodded.

"Have a look at this," said McHallyboo, handing him a large envelope. "Say no more to me until you are finished." Luigi slowly opened the yellow envelope to find a small piece of paper inside. It had a set of instructions:

The Late Delivery Challenge

The Chosen: Last to embark in the Clue challenge, who was pulled out in participating.

The Objective: To deliver all signal flares and all pieces of paper to four hotel rooms.

You have: 4 keys, 4 flares, 4 papers

Incentive: Exemption; a free pass to the next episode.

Luigi's eyes widened, but then saw the last line.

Abort: If you intentionally or unintentionally wake another of the six players up, your exemption will not be awarded. 15,000 coins would be added to the team pot instead.

Luigi looked at the host, who looked him back. Without another word Luigi turned around to head back to the elevator

* * *

"Oh, boy," Luigi said quietly, as he looked at the instructions again, then at the doors. He desperately wanted to take the exemption and have a 100 percent guarantee to the next round. But on the other hand, this challenge could turn the heavy suspecting off from him. 

"Fifteen thousand coins, or free pass," he said in consideration. "Team or self, team or self…ahh, I'm sorry!" He got a key from the envelope and slowly opened Door 785.

The light from the hallway flooded the room. Luigi stopped moving for a moment, considering what he was doing. Did he really feel in need to trade in money for an exemption?

"I'm sorry," Luigi repeated, as he went over and reached into the envelope for a flare. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Birdo, all alone sleeping one of the beds with an empty bed besides her. Putting the flare and one of the pieces of papers on a counter he stumbled into, he turned around to head out…and tripped. He put his hand over his mouth, shocked and in alarm as he went to stand up again from the carpet. He headed out the room and locked the door.

"Holy moley," he whispered to himelf, feeling extra cautious from his fall. He took out the next key and slowly opened Room 786. Peach and Toadette were in the same double-sized bed, sleeping soundly.

Quietly, he simply took a few steps into the dark room and dropped a flare and a piece of paper onto the floor, in fear of tripping again. The room was silent as he exited.

Room 788 had another double-sized bed. Daisy was sleeping soundly, but Lakitu on the other hand was snoring deafeningly. Feeling great pity for his sweetheart companion, he left the flare and the piece of paper on the floor and exited.

One key, one flare and paper, and one last chance. Luigi opened the door to his own room and saw Blooper, on the other bed from him. He could have just simply woken him up to abort the challenge and give in 15,000 coins to the team. But he shook his head and put the flare and the paper on his own bed before heading out of the last room.

"Wait," he said, before heading into the elevator. "Why fire flares?"

* * *

"Mission unknown," the host said as Luigi came down from the elevator once again. 

"I put a piece of paper and a flare into each of the rooms," he told him. "Erm, but some of them I put on the floor."

"Excellent," the host said. The host gave out his first exemption to an excited Luigi, which was a green card that had the green thumbprint logo on it.

**Team Pot**

**40,000c**

"Though I'm not sure how the others would treat you by morning time." Luigi felt like Doopliss; responsible for his actions.

"In fact, they won't be able to treat you by morning time," explained the host mysteriously.

"Huh?" Luigi said in confusion. Before he could ask if he was able to go back to bed, his body trembled as he suddenly became weak. Darkness.

* * *

The six players in the Noki hotel went down to breakfast at nine o'clock. All had taken notice of the piece of paper and the signaling flare in their rooms, but not one of them had decided to take it down with them. 

"We seem kind of short," the host noticed at the table.

"Luigi is missing," Blooper immediately said. "He left behind a fire stick and a piece of paper on his bed." The others replied the same, having seen the two items in their rooms too.

"Well," he said. "The signaling flares have no use to you guys. But the paper is a clue. Look at it wisely later on."

On the piece of paper, a strange poem was written. Below it, a single gray line.

_Even though you look, imagine times of evening chills that revolve memories to the going off. The spleen within has no another, silent to acquire. Yonder to; yonder far._

"Blooper, you are wearing your cap," noticed the host. "And Daisy, you aren't wearing your yellow shirt again. Congratulations with your returned luggage." The others clapped.

"Do you want to know what happened to Luigi?" The player nodded, unsure.

"He's been kidnapped and is being held hostage by people in masks." All the others stared, as McHallyboo laughed.

"Not seriously, you party poopers," he told them. "I have a challenge for you, and it's worth 20,000 coins." The players nodded and listened.

"I need you to split into three teams of two," he ordered. "One will be Tranquil Travel, the second will be Ocean Drift, and the third will be Wild Roam. Twenty seconds."

"I will be a wild roamer," Lakitu said. "I can take the wild side."

"An ocean drifter, obviously," Blooper told them.

"Toadette, do you want to be an ocean or a tranquil?" asked Peach.

"The least scary," Toadette said without hesitation. "I'll be a tranquil traveler."

"Me too," Birdo said quickly. "I can't do anything else."

"Well, I'll be an ocean person," Peach said.

"And wild I will be," Daisy concluded.

"Time is up," the host said. "I see you've chosen your paths to travel. Birdo, faithful and calm and Toadette, sensitive and calm; you two are the Tranquil Travelers. With a leveled-down style of travel you will be using a car, a sport utility vehicle." Both Birdo and Toadette were pleased.

"Blooper, an expert at sea and Peach, the not-so-ocean familiar; you two are the Ocean Dwellers," the host said. "You will be traveling across the wavy waters using a boat, a bow rider." They looked rather happy.

"Daisy, the enthusiastic tomboy and Lakitu, the wild card; you both will be the Wild Roamers," the host said. "In the terms of wild, we provided you to travel the sky with our Robinson helicopter." Both of them seemed excited.

"Now, Luigi really is being held hostage somewhere," told the host. "And you will be traveling by land, by sea, and by air. Your vehicles each have a navigating system which will be pointing to Luigi's location. When you are a one mile radius away from him, the arrow will disappear, and it will be up to you to find him."

"Tranquil Travelers," he said. "When you arrive, you must give your car to my guards to take. In return, they will leave and leave Luigi exposed. Ocean Drifters, you will have the combination needed to expose the lock on Luigi' chains. Wild Roamers, you will have the key to unlock Luigi's feet from the platform, and then you will win 20,000 coins. Now, you have less than two hours to find him. If you do not free him, no money will be won and he will be killed by my guards." Gasps were at the table.

"Haha, he won't me killed by anyone," the host reassured. "He's on a platform that would drop in two hours, and he would be sent falling, like…five hundred feet about." Some of the female players gasped again.

"Jay kay!" said the host, chuckling. "He's attached to a rope, around his neck." Looks of disbelief and fear.

"By all means, this is a game show!" McHallyboo said in an exasperated voice. "Unlike the Skilling Game U.S.T.S.Win. He's attached to a rope. A safety cord. Now, I had already given you a clue to where he is, so don't forget it." He pointed towards the door.

"Toadette and Birdo," he said. "Please go outside to your car." The both of them walked out of the hotel, and a minute passed by.

"Daisy and Lakitu," he said. "Meet the cast member outside and go to your helicopter." They did so, and a minute passed by again.

"Blooper, Peach," he said. "A cast member outside will bring you to your boat." The last two exited the hotel.

Birdo was already waiting in their car, but Toadette had vanished suddenly without warning. She came back a minute later to Birdo's confusion.

"What took you so long?" Birdo asked. Toadette got in without a word.

* * *

Within five minutes, all players were in their chosen vehicles. The host had given each team a cell phone to use on their way to finding Luigi. 

"Are you ready?" the host said into all three cell phones simultaneously.

"Yes!" they replied.

"Two hours counting down starts now. Your captive peer needs you all." The three engines started, and the vehicles headed off.

* * *

The Tranquil Travelers headed off in their car, going through Noki Village for their last time. Birdo was at the wheel. 

"This is pretty neat," Toadette said, turning on the GPS system on their car. Unfortunately, all it showed was an arrow, pointing a direction.

"It only displays an arrow," noticed Toadette. Birdo looked at it and saw that it was pointing northeast.

"I wish we had more help than this," Birdo said, as they made a turn onto another street.

* * *

Blooper started the boat, and Peach was caught by surprise as the water flew into the air. 

"Slow down, slow down!" Peach shouted over the thunderous splashing, as Blooper immediately turned off the engine. He pulled the string and the engine started one again, in a slower rhythm.

"Any clue on where Luigi would be?" Peach said, clueless. Their boat sped off from the dock.

"Not that I know off," Blooper replied. But in fact, the host had told them earlier that each vehicle had a navigating system within them. The bow rider they were riding in had a radar screen.

* * *

The helicopter lifted from the ground, as Daisy let out a yell of excitement. Lakitu was the one at the controls with Daisy sat besides him. 

"You sure you know how to use this?" Daisy asked him, as she put on a set of earmuffs from the compartment besides her. Lakitu pulled back on the lever between his legs.

"I'm almost an expert," he told her. "I did have the chance to learn how to navigate these since I'm an air traffic controller." The helicopter continued to propel itself into the air, and it flew off. But they didn't notice that their pressure gauge display on the control panels had a number on it; 100m.

* * *

Then the vehicles traveled even more. Although Birdo and Toadette were making success in their travel, the others had no means of navigation they were aware about. Blooper felt lost as he drove them further into the sea, and Peach remained clueless. Lakitu drove forwards, as Daisy looked around at the land below them. 

"A building is what I think Luigi is on," Blooper told Peach. "The host said that Luigi would be falling somewhere…"

Yup, I agree with you," Peach told him. "But in that case, shouldn't we be headed towards land?" Blooper was left baffled, and so was Peach as she sat at the back of the boat. She was leaving everything up to Blooper.

* * *

"Remove that air freshener," Birdo told Toadette. "It smells awful." 

"Ha, I was just about to," Toadette said. As she went to pull down the little tree freshener down, she stopped suddenly.

"Something wrong?" Birdo asked.

"Look at it," she said, as she pulled it down. Something was printed on the back of the air freshener that caught her eye.

"_6-6-5-3-4-7-8-7,"_ Toadette read. "I remember that number that was some sort of clue in Noki Village." Birdo seemed confused.

"When did you see this?" she asked.

"Somewhere," she said. "It confused me a lot. I don't know what it means though."

* * *

Almost thirty minutes had passed by. Lakitu and Daisy would have been lost forever in their helicopter if it weren't for Lakitu's spotting. 

"Hey, would you look at that?" he said to Daisy, pointing at the circle-shaped display. It had 80m displayed on it.

"What is that?" she asked. "80 minutes?"

"80 miles," Lakitu corrected. "See?" The display changed to seventy nine.

"It's telling us how far we are from Luigi," Lakitu explained. "We are 79 miles from where he is."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she said. "Now we're actually navigating somewhere." She suddenly tried to get up from her chair, as Lakitu looked on confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. She lifted up from her seat as much as she could in her seatbelt and tried to feel under her. Something had been bothering her in the chair, and as she felt into a hole in her seat, she found it.

"Look," she exclaimed. "A key! For, for Luigi's lock!"

* * *

It wasn't until thirty minutes later until the lost boat riders had discovered the radar screen. Blooper turned it on and was stunned. 

"Peach," he said. Peach looked up behind her and saw Blooper, who stopped his boat. They were positioned in the middle of the ocean, with no land visible. She went over to see the screen with him.

"The green dot," she noticed, pointing at the screen. "That's Luigi!"

"We can find him using this radar," Blooper realized. "Now we won't be completely lost."

"The white dot is us?" Peach asked. "If we are, then it looks like we're kind of far away." Blooper immediately turned the engine on as they drive off. Within a minute, they saw that the white dot on the radar screen had moved just the slightest bit towards the green.

* * *

"The cell phone!" Birdo exclaimed. Toadette was baffled. 

"What about it?" she said, holding it up.

"Try to call that number you found," suggested Birdo. "I think it's a phone number." With nothing to lose Toadette dialed the number on the air freshener into the phone and called. Success.

"He, hello?" asked a voice on the other end.

"Is this Luigi?" Toadette said.

"Yeah, and is this Toadette?"

"It is!" she replied. "Hey Birdo, you guessed right! We have Luigi on the line."

"That's sweet," she said. "Ask him where he is."

"Luigi, where are you?" Toadette said into the phone.

"I'm terrified," he said in a loud voice. "I am at the edge of a cliff." Only holding a cell phone in his hand, he was standing on a platform that stretched out from the edge of a sea cliff. His feet were chained to the platform as he looked down hundreds of feet below to the washing waves. He gulped and turned around to see the two guards sent by McHallyboo, standing right behind him.

"It's a challenge, don't worry," Toadette said. "You're held hostage and we have to rescue you in different ways."

"Huh, it doesn't look like that to me," Luigi told her. "Now, I have a hint for you. Are you in the car, boat, or plane?"

"The last viehicle is a helicopter, not a plane" Toadette corrected him. "But we're in the car." Toadette heard another person talking, most likely to Luigi.

"Umm," said Luigi. "When you turn onto Seashore Street, you will be very near."

"Seashore Street is our last place," Toadette told Birdo. "Okay Luigi, anything else?"

"No," he said. "Goodbye, and please rescue me!" The phone hang up.

* * *

"I wonder what we have to do with this cell phone," Daisy wondered. "Will the host call us?" 

"Try to dial numbers," Lakitu suggested. The pressure measurer read seventy miles.

"I'd rather not," Daisy said, as they flew even more across the sea. They were going in the right direction, and Daisy took off her earmuffs.

"It' probably a cliff where Luigi is located," Lakitu added. "The host said Luigi was somewhere high."

"I hope the others are doing okay," Daisy said hopefully.

* * *

As the car was doing excellent, the boat on the other hand was facing a crisis. Peach touch the screen and it sparked back, as she let out a shriek. Blooper stopped the boat for the third time. 

"What the hell?" he asked, looking at the radar screen and Peach. "What happened?"

"It shocked me!" she exclaimed. "I went to touch it, and I got shocked." The screen was smoking and the screen was pitch black. Blooper went over to the screen and pressed the button. Nothing appeared.

"Oh, crap," he said. "Are you serious?"

"The screen isn't working?" asked a surprised Peach.

"What did you do?" he asked her. "You just killed it!!"

"I didn't anything," she replied. The radar screen was dead.

_I didn't watch what Peach had done with the radar screen, because I was driving the boat as best as I could. What the hell had she done? The next thing I see is Peach jumping backwards, avoiding a large spark. She denied having done anything to do with it._

_

* * *

_

An hour had already passed, and the rescuers had an hour left to go before Luigi would meet his "demise". The helicopter had flown more than halfway the distance to where the hostage was being held, as Lakitu and Daisy flew through the skies. Blooper started the boat as they sped across the ocean, as both Blooper and Peach were clueless once again. But one vehicle was just a mere fifteen miles away.

"Seashore Street!" Toadette pointed out. Birdo had driven right past it.

"Turn around!" Toadette exclaimed. "You just missed the street!" Birdo stopped her car.

"Really, did I?" she said in a strange tone. She tried her best to turn around again, yet the street was too narrow to do so. A sign caught their eyes.

"This is a one-way street we're on," Toadette realized. "Now we have to find a way to get back onto the right road." She sighed, as Birdo kept on driving on.

_She had driven right past it. Either she was really concentrated on something else, or she had played clumsy._

Lakitu and Daisy were flying their fastest. The mile count that was displayed in their helicopter started to decrease slowly.

_I felt so much more different around Lakitu. It was really contrast to yesterday's talk, and we were both working together to find Luigi in this challenge. My suspicion for some reason eased down greatly._

Blooper and Peach didn't say a word to each other. Lost and misplaced, the two of them had ended up further than the distance they had started. Peach did not bother to help Blooper at all and instead fumbled around with the cell phone in her hands.

_It wasn't my fault at all that the screen just blew up. Blooper isn't talking to me at all, and now I'll jut wait to see where he's headed. But for now, we're screwed._

* * *

**We'll see how succesfull the team will be in the next episode part. Will Luigi be rescued?**

**And, and if you want to see that message clue that Luigi had delivered to each of the rooms, just ask me for it. You will be able to see it, and possibly find out the identity of the Mole.**


	8. Evening in Prison

**Episode 3 (part 2)**

It had been an hour and fifteen minutes. Birdo and Toadette had finally made it onto the crossway where Birdo had made her wrong turn, and they went onto Seashore Street. Fifteen miles left to go.

"I guess the arrow on the GPS system was really helpful," Birdo realized. "Wonder how the others are doing."

"They're in vehicles faster than ours," reassured Toadette. "I mean, with that being true wouldn't you say that everyone else is at Luigi's location already? We need to really hurry."

"I don't think we have to rush," Birdo said. But by looking at Toadette's concerned face she had sensed her worry.

"Okay," said Birdo, as she stepped onto the pedal harder.

* * *

"It's been an hour," Daisy said, looking at her watch. The mileage count on their helicopter read 45 miles left, as Lakitu suddenly jerked the plane backwards. Both Lakitu and Daisy yelled in panic. 

"What the heck was that for!" exclaimed Daisy in surprise.

"A seagull," Lakitu said. "My bad." He chuckled, and so did Daisy.

* * *

A disgruntled Blooper drove on in the ocean, not bothering to check where he was going. An upset Peach sat in the back, facing backwards. Waves splashed harder and harder into the air as the boat bounced up and down. 

"God…Damnit!" Blooper shouted in an outburst. Peach immediately jumped and turned around, as the boat stopped. He breathed heavily, his hands on the steering wheel.

"Well, I'm sorry," Peach said in a tone of bother, "That this boat has faulty wiring."

"I don't know what you did," said Blooper, "But you're the cause for us being stranded in the middle of nowhere, and who knows that when we finally arrive at the next location, all I know is that the host and the group would be starting their next execution already, sitting down and waiting for a red screen to appear, and with no surprise the names that would turn red would be Peach and Blooper because we had scored freakin' zeros on the test! The reason being that we did not make it in time to take the quizzes!"

"Oh, stop with the crap," Peach said, exasperated. "I'm as innocent us you."

"You drive," Blooper ordered. "I'll be the one sitting down for now."

"My pleasure," Peach said sarcastically, "While you sit down and mope for yourself." The positions were switched heatedly.

* * *

Another ten minutes had gone by, and the car's arrow on the GPS system had disappeared. They needn't the arrow as they drove up Seashore Street, up to the top of the cliff they were approaching. 

"Oh my, we are here!" Birdo realized. The two Tranquil Travelers were energized as they saw three figures at the edge of the cliff, two large men in masks and a helpless hostage, standing on a platform. They got out of their car and ran up to them.

"Hi, we're here," Toadette told the two men. The figures in masks stood still, looking at the two of them.

"Would you like…our car?" Toadette remembered. "We'll trade it for the prisoner." The two guards nodded and left their place, going over to the SUV. Luigi was revealed, standing on a platform that extended about five feet from the edge of the cliff. He was chained by his feet and scared stiff.

"Well, that was awkward," Birdo commented. "But never mind. It's Luigi!" Luigi's face looked thrilled, as he tried to move his feet. The two others sat down on the rocky floor as close as possible to him, in fear of falling off from the cliff themselves.

"Your feet are chained up," Toadette noticed. "But at least we got the guards away." They looked back and saw the guards driving off down the winding road.

"I'm terrified," Luigi told them. "Any second now, this platform will drop, and I'll fall like fifty feet until the safety cord ends. This is scarier than that cliff jump we had earlier."

"Don't worry," Birdo reassured, although she would have been at the verge of fainting if she was in Luigi's place right now. "Has anyone else arrived here?"

"Only you two."

"Oh, that's just great," Toadette said. "We had the slowest way of transportation and we end up arriving here first. How bad can the others be?"

"Yup," agreed Luigi. "I have this, too." He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the flares he had received that morning.

"I could have had four more of these if I hadn't have taken that exemption…err, I mean if I hadn't of exempted myself from being a pyromaniac." Luigi had quickly changed his sentence.

"Oh look," Toadette said. "The keyhole to unlock your feet is blocked by a combination lock."

"That's for the others to find out when they come here," Birdo explained. "Wait, is that a signaling flare?" Luigi handed it to Birdo by reaching out towards her, who looked over it.

"Fire," Birdo said to Toadette. "We need fire."

"Don't look at me," Toadette replied. "Why would I have fire?"

"Oh shoot," Luigi said. They both turned to look at him.

"I umm, forgot to tell you," he told them, "That in the back of the car, there was another flare and a lighter. Sorry for not telling you."

"Don't worry," said Birdo. "What you did wasn't so bad." Luigi gulped, remembering the exemption he had taken.

* * *

It was an hour and a half into their time remaining. 12:30 P.M. and Daisy and Lakitu were flying in their helicopter over the sea. Daisy took time to admire the sight as she breathed deeply with her eyes closed. 

"It's so tranquil," Daisy stated, looking out from the cockpit window. "The Wild Roam was an inappropriate name to call this."

"I couldn't agree more," replied Lakitu. "And do you notice how close we are to Luigi? Thirty one miles to go."

"It's been an hour and a half," Daisy said, looking at her watch. She sighed and stared at the water passing below them.

"You know, you've targeted me once again," realized Daisy. "You decided to ride in the helicopter after I had chosen to. I mean, this can't just be another coincidence---"

"I chose the helicopter first," Lakitu pointed out. Daisy remembered.

* * *

Peach drove like a madwoman, recklessly across the waves. Blooper stared at her, counting numbers in his head as his way of cooling down. Peach had lost her anger from her uncontrolled and wild boat maneuvering. 

"I didn't break the radar!" she said over the waves.

"I couldn't care less!" he said back over the rushing water. "We were messed up anyway!" Peach stopped the boat and lay back in her seat. She was exhausted.

"You drive?" she asked him.

"Sure, why not," he said, and they switched positions coolly.

* * *

One hour and forty five minutes from the starting time, and Peach and Toadette were waving their hat and flag into the air, jumping up and down at the edge of the cliff, as Luigi waved his hands too. They heard the propellers of the helicopter as the helicopter came into view. 

"Over here!" the three of them yelled. "Here!"

Lakitu looked over at the pressure meter and saw that it had gone blank. He tapped it in surprise.

"Hey, umm, our navigation item has suddenly collapsed," Lakitu noticed.

"That's because we're a mile from Luigi…a cliff!" Daisy pointed in excitement at a cliff in the distance, as Lakitu speedily went to drive over to it. A minute later, the figures came into view, shouting and waving themselves in the air to catch the helicopter's attention.

"Hey, they see us!" Luigi yelled. "Hey, down a here! Daisy! And Lakitu!" The helicopter landed on the large grassy cliff area behind Birdo and Toadette, and they stepped back at immense wind. Lakitu perfectly landed the vehicle, taking little time to do so as the helicopter was positioned stationary on the cliff top. The two Wild Roamers came out to the ground.

"Yes, they made it!" Toadette said happily, as Daisy and Lakitu met them. Daisy's eyes went wide when she saw Luigi, chained up at the edge of the platform that stretched out from the cliff edge. Lakitu looked stunned too.

"Daisy!" Luigi called out, waving his hands in the air. Daisy rushed over to him and went down to see his chained feet.

"Huh?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

"I found this key," she told him. The other three rushed over to him as well, watching Daisy take out the key from her pocket and stare at Luigi's chains. Birdo knew what she was thinking.

"I know," said Birdo. "There's a combination locking blocking the key hole."

"We don't have much time to finish this challenge," Toadette said in a worried voice. "How much time will it take until the others get here?"

"I think they only have ten minute left," Lakitu said in equal concern. "And what a way to hold Luigi hostage. Ha." Luigi seemed so helpless on the platform.

"Wait, you know that phone number?" Birdo suddenly said. "I think it might be for another use."

"You think it's also the combination?" said Toadette. Birdo nodded, as Toadette took out the little tree freshener from her pocket. Lakitu saw the numbers.

"Hey, aren't those the numbers that were in Noki Village?" Lakitu asked her.

"Yes they were," Toadette said. She looked at the number and the combination lock.

_6-6-5-3-4-7-8-7_

"The combination lock is only five numbers," Daisy pointed out. They tried anyway, and the five of them hoped for the best as they filled in the slots as best they could; 6-6-5-3-4, 3-4-7-8-7, 6-7-6-8-5…

* * *

Blooper had turned off the engine of the boat. Peach suddenly jumped when the cell phone in her hand had rung with a tune. She answered it, as Blooper listened along. 

"I am sorry Ocean Drifters, but there is only one more minute left until the hostage is killed."

"We're---" Peach had not been able to speak in time, as the phone was hung up.

* * *

Two hours exactly had passed since the time the vehicles had started on their mission. The players had given up, assuming that the numbers on the air freshener had been no use for anything except the phone. The four who were not chained or held hostage sat down on the cliff side, away from Luigi. 

Suddenly, a snapping sound was heard. They turned to look at Luigi and saw the chains around his feet snap off suddenly. Before the poor individual could react, the platform he had been standing on for over two long hours collapsed down swiftly, followed by the terrified scream of Luigi as he disappeared from sight. All four gasped and ran up to peer over the edge, hearing the yells of Luigi. He was hanging a distance down with a safety cord supporting him.

"Crap!" Luigi yelled. "Help me!"

"Yeah, crap!" Lakitu agreed. "You've been 'killed'.

"You okay?" Daisy asked Luigi, who was dangling fifty feet below from where they were standing.

"I would be, if you were to define okay as horrible shaken up and hanging hundreds of feet above the water."

"Oh well, we tried," Toadette said optimistically. "And two vehicles aren't, you know, half bad."

"But twenty thousand coins is still lost," Birdo reminded her.

* * *

"Well," said the host. All seven players had been brought back to a street side an hour after their game had finished. They looked disappointed. 

"Two vehicles had made it to the cliff top, where Luigi remained hostage. The last piece of information needed was the combination, which was in the boat. I'm afraid Luigi had fallen to his doom and your challenge was lost." Luigi shuddered, remembering the frightening plunge he had went through.

"But now I must say something," the host told them. "Luigi was in his own challenge this morning at five o'clock. He did have the option to abort it, and add fifteen thousand coins to the team. But he also had the option to deliver the paper clue and a flare to each hotel room without waking anyone up. In doing so, he would win an exemption; a free pass to the next episode." They all turned to Luigi.

"Luigi, do you have the exemption?" the host asked. Luigi meekly pulled it out from his pocket, as the others seemed let down.

"I'm afraid that's a double loss," the host told the seven of them. "Out of the possible thirty five thousand coins today, you have won none of it."

**Team Pot**

**40,000c**

"It turns out that Blooper and Peach's radar screen went blank during the Hostage challenge," added McHallyboo, "Which was the cause for their misdirection. Peach was the one who had touched the screen, resulting in the malfunction." Blooper looked at Peach, who looked back sheepishly.

"Or maybe someone else had been tampering with it previously," said the host. "Blooper was in the boat along with Peach." Blooper gave him a look of innocence.

"And how do you feel about the hostage now?" the host questioned. "Do you really feel sorry for him now for suffering the tension and the plummet? He was the cause of the lost fifteen thousand, and he had traded it for his own safety." Luigi looked at the others, who looked back at him disappointed.

"Today's work has been such a success. For one of you." Again, the usual looking at each other at the host's witty phrase.

"Now, you will all be riding in the SUV the Tranquil Travelers had arrived in," the host said. "We have gathered all your belongings from the Noki Hotel to follow us to your next location.

* * *

The seven players were riding in the SUV, and a crew member drive them to their next destination. Talking was among them. 

"Well, umm, I'm sorry," Luigi said. The others didn't reply right away, and some were just too exhausted.

"It's okay Luigi," Daisy told him. "I would have taken it too."

"Well, I wouldn't have minded if Luigi had waken me up in the middle of the night," added Blooper. "Because he didn't, our money as been lost."

"I don't think it's bad," Lakitu said. "But I don't think it's okay either. We needed extra money for the team, Luigi, and you gave it in for your own security."

"Don't look at it that a way," said Luigi, trying his best to make them forget about the entire incident.

_Luigi: I really hoped that the others didn't mind. I felt so unsafe and needed to make it to the next round, no matter the cost._

"The team pot money only goes to one person," Birdo reminded them all.

"So what did happen at the boat?" Toadette asked Blooper and Peach. "I mean, isn't the boat faster than the car we were in?"

"We couldn't find a way to navigate because _someone _had been messing around with the screen," Blooper said, looking at Peach.

"All I did was touch the screen," Peach argued. "Once, and it shocked me as if someone had malfunctioned it to do that."

"So it's fair to say that Blooper _may _have been the one who messed it up earlier," Birdo said. Blooper looked at Bird with a glare.

"That guess is one hundred percent wrong," he told her. Birdo just looked at the window, thinking.

"So far, I think the Mole might be playing it good," Lakitu said. "Playing it real good."

"I know a hidden clue," Toadette suddenly said. They all looked at her.

"The name for this show is The Mole: Traitor Aboard," she said. The six others nodded.

"And when you say the word 'aboard', when do you usually use it?" she asked them.

"On a train?" Peach said. Toadette shook her head.

"On an airplane," Daisy realized.

"And Lakitu," Toadette said, as he looked at her in surprise. "You are an air traffic controller, aren't you? You guide aircrafts."

"Ah, I see," Luigi said. "And you rode the helicopter. Is that…a clue too?"

"Come on, you got to be kidding me," Lakitu replied. "I mean, just because it's Traitor Aboard doesn't mean it points to me."

_Lakitu: I mean, it was so absurd. I have no idea why Toadette has decided to look at the TV show title as a clue. What kind of person would look there?_

"Why choose the word 'Aboard'" Toadette queried. "Hmm?"

"Well, I also know a clue," said Birdo. "There were Peach tart and squid guts in the Food challenge; Peach and Blooper."

"I find that being totally random," commented Peach.

"Well, I wonder what other challenge we'll be having next," said Blooper. "But for now, I think it's safe to take a rest."

* * *

During their discussion and resting for an hour in the SUV, McHallyboo had suddenly been informed about something unrelated to the show. And although the producers of The Mole had barely agreed on it, the police had the permission to take in the players for interrogations after reports of a stolen vehicle had taken place just a few hours ago.

* * *

The players were set alert to the sound of sirens behind them. They immediately looked behind at the rear window and saw two police cars, traveling down the road and directly following the vehicles they were in. They sat in their seats, shocked. 

"Shoot," said Lakitu. "What are the police doing?" The sirens continued on.

"Are they following us?" said Peach worriedly.

"Seatbelts, seatbelts," repeated Luigi, as everyone tugged around at the seatbelts around their waists.

"Excuse me, sir," Daisy told the driver. "There are police car behind us with the sirens, and you should really slow down." The crew member driving the SUV stopped the car immediately, as the players stayed still with nervous faces. A policeman came up to the door and opened it.

"Would you all step out?" he asked them.

_Blooper: When he said that, I was like, "Oh crap, what have we gotten into?"_

_Daisy: My legs were shaking, and I didn't know what we had done, but the hell we were going to be on schedule with the game!_

All seven players had gotten out of the vehicle, all still nervous.

"I'm aware that you are all in a certain game show right now," the policeman said. "But there are no exceptions with the fact that this may be against the law in this district. This vehicle is suspected of being stolen according to its registration and serial number." Wide mouths.

"We will be detaining these vehicles with the involuntary permission of the host, and from this moment on we will be determining whether or not this is the vehicle we had been searching for this morning."

"Holy," Lakitu said, stunned.

"I need to now officially detain all seven of you for various investigations in the terms of suggestive stolen property."

"What?" Toadette asked. "Are we getting arrested or what?" The policeman nodded, taking out a notepad as he wrote down information.

"You got to be kidding---"

"Failing to produce your registrations is subject to against the laws of the Motor Vehicle Act. Please, everyone follow me."

"How can you possibly---" started Peach.

"I've just arrested you all," stated the policeman. The faces were as shocked as ever.

"Wait, I need to see the host," Lakitu demanded. "I need to object this." The other police car had gone off; the crew member was taken away.

"Oh shoot, wasn't that was the guy who was driving our car?" Luigi asked.

"Hands behind your back," another police woman ordered Toadette. As soon as she did so, she felt the cold feeling of handcuffs across her wrists.

"Oh no…" she said. One by one, the other players were handcuffed against their will, and all were put into separate cars as they headed out to the nearest police station.

_Daisy: Now what? We're really going to be messed up from here. It's the director's fault, or whoever had been in charge with this SUV's fault that it was stolen. We have nothing to do with this._

_Birdo: I felt speechless. We were actually taken out of the game for the first time. I guess a break is good, but not this kind of break. I have almost no words._

_Peach: Well, interrogate me and everything. I'll be found innocent and nothing to do with this stolen property._

"This is absurd," Lakitu said to the camera, as the door was shut.

Unexpectedly, the players had been pulled out of their games for questioning that was not relevant to them. The producers and crew of the show had been notified immediately about the persistence of the case, as well as McHallyboo the host. According to the rules of the district they were in, the seven of them had to be processed through, and any further actions that needed to take place would do so. The game of The Mole was delayed.

* * *

**Huh. Well, I guess nothing can be a hundred percent planned like expected. Oh well, the players hopefully will be okay as they are processed and asked questions. **

**And for those who are looking for the paper with the clue, it's on my profile all the way at the bottom. Good luck with it!**


	9. Accused, Guilty, and Jailed

**Episode 3 (part 3)**

"Step forwards!" Blooper, closest to the police car door, stepped out and was brought into the station. The rest waited.

Blooper's belongings bag was brought to the station and searched through, as the police woman pulled out items after items.

"Was there any suspicious acts of violation during the hours from this morning to now?" she asked. Blooper seemed unsure.

"Well, we were playing a game where we had to rescue a hostage," Blooper said.

"Hostage? This may be serious."

He laughed. "Wait, I mean, uh, it was a game. He was just held somewhere and we had to find him"

"Any descending words?"

"I don't know what those are."

"Stand against the wall," a policeman ordered, and he thoroughly searched him. After thirty seconds the woman found something in Blooper's bag; the bronze container.

_

* * *

_

_FLASHBACK_

_The eight contestants were about to leave the table from their failed Food Challenge in the Noki restaurant, and were stopped by McHallyboo. Each was given a small bronze container to hold onto._

"_Keep these containers I have given you wherever you go. You must keep these on you at all times. Is that clear? Inside the container is some crucial information on the Mole. But do not, and I repeat, do NOT ever open your case ever, or there will be consequences."_

* * *

"This is what we are looking for," the police woman told Blooper. "Stop the search." Blooper went up to the counter as his handcuffs were released. 

"The reason you have been brought here is because you are suspected of interfering with your container." Blooper seemed dumbstruck.

* * *

"Any criminal records?" the lady asked Birdo. 

"No, there's none," Birdo told her. "I have nothing on my record."

"Please turn around to face the wall," the ordered. As Birdo did so, her pockets were searched through. The police woman found the bronze container at the bottom of her bag.

"You have been brought here with the suspicion of interfering with your container." Birdo smiled in realization.

* * *

"Criminal records?" the lady asked. 

"I once, like, drove over the speed limit," Peach told her. Peach was searched thoroughly from head to toe as the lady searched the inside of her bag. He pulled out the bronze container.

"You are here today after being suspected of interfering with your container." Peach's face looked baffled and reassured at the same time.

* * *

"Any acts you had done these past hours that may have been in violation with the law?" Toadette was asked. 

"No?" she said, confused.

"Yes or no?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Toadette told them. She was ordered to go against the wall as her bag was searched through. The police woman lifted out the bronze container from Toadette's bag.

"You have been brought in today in suspicion of interfering with your container." Toadette laughed with relief.

* * *

"Occupation? Allergies?" 

"I'm a plumber," Luigi said nervously. "And I'm a innocent."

"Please do not plead at this moment," the police woman said, as Luigi was searched through his clothing. In his back pocket, the police man had found the bronze container.

"You are under investigation today for interfering with your container." Luigi seemed as perplexed as ever.

* * *

"Any suspicious acts that you had taken notice in these past hours?" the lady asked Daisy. 

"Well, we were playing a game," Daisy told her. "And---"

"Please stand against the wall," she was asked. Daisy rolled her eyes and did so, and as she was searched, the police woman found the bronze container in her bag.

"You are being held today with the suspecting of interfering with your container."

"With that?" Daisy asked in bewilderment, pointing at it. She nodded.

"Wow, what a relief," she said, as she laughed.

* * *

"Do you have the container with you?" the police woman asked Lakitu. Lakitu was searched thoroughly and his bag had every item removed from it, yet the bronze container could be nowhere seen. 

"Oh shoot," he remembered, "I think I might have left it in the room when we were talking." He searched his pockets one last time.

"You have been brought here," the lady said, "For not having your container with you today." Lakitu looked amused.

"For not having it you will be arrested and charged with that offense," she continued. "Please, go there for your mug shot, fingerprint test, and after that you must immediately be situated in your jail cell.

Lakitu did not get the chance to prove his innocence, as he was brought to his jail cell immediately.

* * *

Lakitu wasn't the only one to be guilty. As Lakitu sat down in his jail cell, the other six stayed in one room, not knowing what would come next. 

"The whole thing was a set-up!" Luigi realized, as they all laughed.

"Wow, I really thought our show had been messed up," Daisy said. "I had a gut feeling that it had the possibility of being cancelled, or something like that."

"She told me that I had been suspected of interfering with the container," Toadette said.

"Same for all of us," said Birdo. "We'll have to wait and see what happens next." The clock read 5:00 P.M., and the sun was going down.

One by one they were taken out of the room and processed. If they were innocent, a warm relieving dinner would follow them soon after. If however they were found guilty of opening and looking at their clue, they would be arrested and sent to a jail cell for the rest of the night.

But just how do we know whether the players had opened their containers or not? The clever method involved photographic paper, which is sensitive to light. Each container had been taken from each six of them and the clue paper would be dipped in a special liquid. If the paper turned black, then it had been exposed to light and the container had been opened. Daisy was first.

"Hello, Daisy," McHallyboo said. Daisy sat down comfortably on the chair across from McHallyboo. In fact, Daisy had situated herself in a separate booth behind a piece of large glass that separated the two of them. The host spoke through tiny holes in the glass.

"Did you open your bronze container?" he asked her.

"I never did," she replied. McHallyboo stared hard at her.

"Well, according to this evidence of white paper you are telling, the truth," he said with a grin. "It had never been exposed to light. You are free to go." Daisy got up from her chair excitedly with a "Yes!", and left the room. Birdo entered the room a few minutes later.

"Birdo," spoke the host. "Did you ever open your bronze container?"

"I didn't ever," Birdo said back.

"This piece of paper _does _sugget you are telling the truth, because it had not been exposed to the light" the host said. "You're innocent and free to go." With a smile she got up and left. A few minutes passed by, and Peach entered the room. The host looked at her.

"Did you open your bronze container, Peach?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Is that a no?" he asked.

"Yes, it's a no," replied Peach.

"By looking at your paper we can tell that it was not exposed to light, and you are free to leave." Peach happily got up and left. Toadette was after her and entered the room later on.

"Hello Toadette," the host said. "Have you ever opened your container?" Toadette paused.

"I'm not really sure," she said.

"Oh?"

"I mean," she continued, "There was this one point where the container had been sticking out of my pocket the entire day, and I went to position it. I think the lid did come off for a second or two, but it wasn't exposed to the light or anything."

The host stared, and then looked at the photographic paper.

* * *

Later on, Luigi had entered the room. 

"Luigi, did you open your bronze container?" McHallyboo asked him. Luigi's face looked a bit nervous as he went to adjust his cap.

"I did once," he told him. "But it fell on the floor, and I had to pick it up. Then I put it back right away in a less than three seconds. It was an accident, I a swear."

"So you did open your container," the host confirmed. He nodded, slowly.

"Well, but not to look at anything," he told him. The host lifted the paper in front of him.

* * *

Blooper entered the room after Luigi. The host watched him sit down. 

"Blooper, have you ever opened your bronze container?" the host asked him. Blooper seemed silent.

"I…had," he admitted in a quiet tone. The host lifted the paper; fully black with no speck of white.

"I had ordered you to never open the containers," the host told him. "It was a strict rule, and you were not able to follow it. Why did you open your container when it was forbidden to do so?"

"I know, and it's me to blame," Blooper said, his face gloomy. "I decided to do it, not knowing that it would matter."

"But it does matter," the host reminded him. "I specifically said that there would be consequences to follow anyone who had not followed the rules." Blooper just looked down.

"It's good that you're honest," McHallyboo said. "But what you did was an abuse of the rules. You are found guilty. GUARDS! Take him away." Two large people in masks burst into the room without warning and roughly brought Blooper to his jail cell.

* * *

"Well Toadette," said the host, looking at her paper. "You are indeed telling the truth as your paper is partially exposed, suggesting that there was only a brief period of sunlight." 

Toadette saw that her piece of paper was colored a shade of black, only one-third of the entire length, as Toadette sighed with relief.

"However, that is no defense and that does not exceed the parameters, so you are guilty. Guards, take her away." Toadette seemed upset, and the two masked guards took Toadette to her prison cell.

* * *

"Well," the host said to Luigi, as he lifted the photographic paper. "This paper suggests that you are lying." Luigi saw the paper fully and heavily black, as he seemed to melt in guilt. 

"The paper suggests that you had exposed the paper to light for a long period of time," added the host, "Unlike an accident. Something in your story does not add up to the truth. You are guilty. GUARDS! Take him away." Luigi hung his head and made his way to his prison cell.

Lakitu, Blooper, Toadette, and Luigi, all those who had been found guilty for their crime, had stayed for an hour in their jail cells. With nothing but themselves, a bench, and a light bulb on their ceilings to keep them company, they sat in gloom. Lakitu walked around in his cell, Blooper grabbed onto the bars, Toadette sat on the bench restlessly, and Luigi lay down on floor, bored. All were left to wait their fates.

* * *

It was seven o'clock at night. A distance away from the police station was a restaurant called Wood Ear, and that was where the three remaining players and the host were located 

"This restaurant has existed for over eighty years," the host told them. "I really wonder why this place is named Wood Ear, though I'm sure it's a very appropriate name. And it's the food that really matters for the restaurant, making this place exist so long." The food came, and they all started to eat contently joyfully.

_Birdo: Hmm, well, it turns out that all three guys had been found guilty by the police. I can't say I'm surprised in any way._

_Peach: When Toadette didn't appear, I only suspected that she had broken the rule. I was surprised because she wasn't the type of person to do so._

_Daisy: As we ate, I couldn't get the images of the others out of my mind, especially Luigi. Were they going to have their own separate challenge for breaking the rules? Were they okay?_

"For being so honest and innocent during this challenge," the host told them, "We have embedded a clue into each of your napkins." Indeed it was true, and the three of them looked at their cloth napkins and saw that printed on each of them were jumbles of letters. They looked at it in confusion.

"Just don't mistakenly wipe your mouth with it and scrub out a crucial letter," cautioned the host. They all laughed.

"So, would you like to know the results that had come up?" he asked them. They nodded.

"Lakitu was not even questioned by me with the fact that he did not have the container with him at the time," explained the host. "Whether he did indeed open it or not, he was still guilty and sent to his prison cell." The three of them seemed a bit surprised at the mentioning of a cell.

"Blooper flat out admitted to opening the container, even though it was against the rules," the host continued, "And he was found guilty and sent to his cell. Toadette had claimed to have opened hers accidentally for a brief moment, and she was indeed telling the truth. However, it still counted as being guilty and she was sent to her cell. Luigi claimed to have opened his by accident as well. But seeing that his paper was fully black, he was guilty and sent to his prison cell after I determined him to be an awful liar." The girls laughed at his last statement.

"So, here was the goal," he said. "In order to win the prize money of twenty thousand coins, there had to be a condition among the innocent players." They waited anxiously for his next sentence.

"Sex." Baffled stares.

"All had to be the same sex," McHallyboo said more clearly. "And, there had to be at least two people remaining. You have completed this challenge successfully." The three of them cheered and high-fived each other at their first victory of the episode.

**Team Pot**

**60,000c**

"Now, this is to each of the innocent ones," he added. As they looked in astonishment, the host handed each of them a single check: _10,000 c. only_

"Yes, you may keep them," he said. The three girls exchanged excited glances.

"But then again, you can give them in," told the host. "For every check that is handed back to me, a prisoner will be let free." They looked back at him, their minds pondering the idea again and again.

* * *

_Blooper: I cheated and looked at the paper. Why was I honest? Because I had to be. Now I must suffer and stay in this cell._

_Toadette: I never even looked at the piece of paper and the host did notice that it was accidental. Yet I'm still in jail. All I can hope is that the consequences won't be bad._

_Lakitu: I never opened the container and I could double promise that. I really shouldn't have left it with my other belongings in the hotel room._

_Luigi: I was caught telling a lie. The host would probably never trust me again. Ayayaya! Hopefully Daisy isn't too worried about me. _

It had been two hours, and it was eight o'clock. The police woman suddenly entered the hallway where the four players were detained in their prisons.

"I will give you all a maximum time of fifteen minutes to solve a question," she told them. "If you succeed, you will be set free. You have only one chance at your guess." Another policeman entered, slipping a piece of paper between the bars of each prison cell. They frantically looked at them immediately.

Lakitu's riddle: _If you were to count the letters in the bag of a mail man at midnight, how many would there be?_

Blooper's Riddle: _This is the word that 99.5 percent of literate organisms in the world, in the English department, pronounce incorrectly. What is the word?_

Toadette's Riddle_: What appears three times in your average lifespan, two times in your last year of living, and just once in your ending day?_

Luigi's Riddle: _Remove six letters from the following in order to make the remaining letters form the word for a food: S I P A X L E S T T T E R A S. What is the food?_

The two previous hours of monotony was followed by minutes of intense thinking. Lakitu, Blooper, Toadette, and Luigi contemplated their questions carefully, and neither one of them favored the fate of suffering the prison cell overnight. What they weren't aware of was that they all had a second chance that lay in the hands of the three others.

* * *

**Just to make it clear, the entire police incident was made up. There was no stolen vehicle, and everything was just as the producers had planned. So, will the innocent ones keep their guaranteed money checks for their own sake, or can they be persuaded to help the others from suffering a night of heat and exhaustion?**

**And the clue on the napkins they received is available at the bottom of my profile. Good luck with it!**


	10. Open Execution 3

**Episode 3 (part 4)**

"Now," said the host to the three females, "Each of them has been given a brain teaser to solve within fifteen minutes. If they succeed, they would be set free immediately." They nodded.

"So perhaps all four happened to make it," the host said as an example. "It would be a waste if any of you had given in your guaranteed money for a person who was already free."

"I get it," said Birdo, as they others nodded too.

"So, your choice," the host said. "Give, or keep?"

"The ones who don't make it," Peach asked him, "Will have to remain in their cells for how long?"

"For the entire night until nine o'clock in the morning," he told them. Peach immediately gave her check to McHallyboo.

"I can't do that," she said firmly, then looked at the other two. "Nobody has to suffer in a jail cell, not to mention without dinner."

"What a quick decision," commented McHallyboo.

"I can't believe I'm giving away 10,000 coins," Daisy said, "But I still can't believe how cruel this game could be." She gladly gave in her check to McHallyboo, and they all turned to Birdo.

"Well, I guess there's no other choice for me except to give mine in as well," Birdo said, as she went to hand the host her check of money.

"Wait, stop," said Daisy suddenly, as Birdo withdrew her hand. "If they _do_ solve the riddles, then they have the chance to escape and join us. So maybe it's okay if you keep yours."

"I'll be neutral with that," Peach said, smiling at Birdo. "I mean, those four _are_ the smartest of the remaining of us, and I'll assume that enough of them would answer the riddles correctly." Birdo looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Taking this money would mean a lot to me," she said, as both Peach and Daisy looked pleased. But unexpectedly, she went and handed her check to the host.

"I may not be rich, but the real meaning of being rich is to give up to others." She sat back in her chair, contently.

"I see that you have all handed me your checks worth ten thousand coins each," the host said. "Wise and selfless choices. You should all be proud of yourselves." They looked at each other and high-fived once again.

"So, that means if at least one of them solves their riddle, then they will all be sleeping comfortably tonight," the host said optimistically. "Oh, and one more thing. If they all happen to mess up their riddles, your checks will rescue people anonymously." Although Birdo didn't mind, Peach and Daisy did.

* * *

After five minutes, Lakitu had asked to be let out and say his answer for his riddle. He exited his jail cell and went to the police woman for his first and final attempt. Preparing to say his answer, he went up to the front desk.

"If you were to count the letters in the bag of a mail man at midnight, how many would there be?" the police woman repeated to him.

"There is none," Lakitu said. "Mail doesn't deliver at night. It's a trick question." The police woman stayed sitting in her chair.

"That is incorrect," she said, as Lakitu's face dropped with hope. "Back to your cell." Lakitu's hope for being guaranteed to escape was gone.

_Lakitu: I was sure my answer was correct. Now I'm concerned on whether or not the team had lost money with my wrong guess. I think I could handle a night in here…if I had a blanket, a pillow, and some food._

_Answer: 26 (t-h-e-b-a-g…a-t-m-i-d-n-i-g-h-t: twenty six letters)_

The next to come up was Blooper, two minutes later. He felt a strange sense of confidence in his mind about the riddle, and he went up to the police woman.

"This is the word that 99.5 percent of literate organisms in the world, in the English department, pronounce incorrectly," she said. "What is the word?"

"The word," Blooper said, "Is saboteur."

"That is incorrect," said the lady. Blooper trudged regretfully back to his cell.

_Blooper: I am mad. I can't help but regret opening the container. I thought the consequences would be money wise, yet it turns out to be in a more mental and physical way._

_Answer: Incorrectly (…in the English Department, pronounce "incorrectly")_

Ten minutes had passed. Toadette finally went out as she went to the lady, fearing that she would run out of time. She struggled with the answer.

"What appears three times in your average lifespan, two times in your last year of living, and just once in your ending day?" repeated the lady.

"Your…birth?" Toadette said, entirely guessing.

"That is incorrect," said the lady, much to Toadette's expecting. She felt distraught as she went back to her prison cell.

_Toadette: I could not last another hour in there. I was ready to break up and cry because I did not open my container intentionally, and I was innocent. It was a hideous challenge._

_Answer: The letter A (3: your AverAge life spAn, 2: lAst yeAr of living, 1: your ending dAy)_

Because of the generosity of the innocent ones, just one person had to solve their riddle. But now three had failed. If Luigi answered his correctly, all were guaranteed to stay at the hotel that night.

Unfortunately, it was seventeen minutes passed when Luigi asked to get out of his cell and answer the question. The guard refused his request, and he was left disappointed.

_Luigi: I don't think I even had the right answer. Oh boy, I hope Daisy isn't a worrying about me. And I hope the others did fine on their riddles, yet I don't know how _I_ will be tonight._

_Answer: Pasta (S I P A X L E S T T T E R A S – SIXLETTERS: PASTA)_

* * *

It had been thirty minutes. Blooper was fuming up in his jail cell, and ultimately he kicked the bench in fury. Luigi, all the way down the hall, heard the crash. He lied down on the bench and hummed a tune to calm his mind. Lakitu seemed restless, as he walked around in his cell again and again. Toadette was sitting down on her bench, crying helplessly with her hands over her face.

Without any warning, a rude alarm went off with a message:

"Attention!" the police woman yelled. "We have three excuses available tonight. This means three of you will be able to be set free." They all were alert as another piece of paper was dropped into the rooms, as well as a modern calculator.

If a is 1, 2 is b, 3 is c, etc., solve the following four numbers:

T times J plus A

W squared minus O

W squared minus I

T times J plus E

Numbers were rapidly pressed into the calculators. All four were determined to escape and evade the cell punishment.

Blooper had the answer in under a minute.

"Two hundred one, five hundred fourteen, five hundred twenty, and two hundred and five," he spoke to the police woman.

"That is correct," she said. Blooper's mood changed dramatically as the cell opened, and he walked his way out in victory, out of the station. Waiting in the parking lot was the host, as they waited for two more lucky ones.

"Well Blooper, you have earned yourself a dinner and a stay in the hotel," the host told him. "I did hear you were getting rather ticked off in the cell."

"I sort of dented the bench," Blooper said. The host was alarmed yet smiled at the same time.

Toadette had her answers shortly after Blooper had said his. She knew the answer in her head as she repeated it.

"Two hundred one, five hundred fourteen…five hundred twenty, two hundred five." She waited for the woman's reply.

"Correct."

"Oooh, yes!" she exclaimed. Wiping the leftover tears near her eyes she opened her cell door and exited the police station. She met up with the host and Blooper.

"Toadette, congratulation!" said McHallyboo. "May I ask why your eyes are so red?"

"Been crying, again," she admitted sheepishly. They all lightly laughed.

"Well, that's two escaped," said the host. "But only one more could make it out. The other will have to stay in their cell until tomorrow morning." Blooper and Toadette's moods changed as they waited for the last player.

Inside, the two prisoners were fumbling with their calculators. It had been three minutes already, yet none of them could get the right answer.

"Two hundred one, five hundred, five hundred thirty, one hundred seventeen," Lakitu told the lady standing in front of his closed jail cell.

"Incorrect." A few seconds later, Luigi had his own answer.

"Four hundred one, five hundred fourteen, five hundred thirty, and two hundred and five?"

"Incorrect."

Another thirty seconds had passed. Beads of sweat were going down their foreheads as they tapped numbers continuously. Both had been off with their answers, but one of them would soon come up with the correct one.

"201, 514, 520, 205."

"That is the correct answer. You may leave."

* * *

The host, Blooper, and Toadette watched the third prisoner exit to the parking lot. Only the shadow of the person could be seen in the night sky, as they eagerly stepped closer to see who it was.

"Well, congratulation," the host said, "Luigi." Luigi laughed happily and high-fived the others.

"I stink at math," Luigi said, "And I can't believe I wasn't the last one."

"No kidding," said Toadette.

"I guess that means Lakitu has to stay overnight," Blooper realized. As they laughed nervously, they felt pity for their team member.

"Well," the host continued. "I expect you three to NEVER, EVER break the rules once again. You have all showed me your dishonesty in this challenge. Toadette, the least. Blooper, the second most. Luigi, tremendous." They stood still and made promises to themselves to follow his future directions.

"In the car are your burritos and soda," McBallyhoo told them, pointing to a car with a crew member besides it. The three players headed off to it slowly, as McHallyboo headed into the police station.

* * *

He found Lakitu, lying down on the bench facing away. He seemed depressed and exhausted.

"Hey, Lakitu! Pssst!" Lakitu turned around and saw the host in front of the bars. He immediately got to his feet.

"Oh hi," said Lakitu, alert and going up to the bars as well. "I guess I'm the loser, right?"

"I see you've made yourself comfortable already," the host joked. "Home, sweet home."

"Yes," agreed Lakitu. "I lost the last riddle game on purpose because I happened to find this jail cell to be more relaxing than a hotel room. No sink, no bathroom, the lights are always on and blinding you; everything you wished for." The host laughed and cleared his throat.

"Here is pillow and a wood ear sandwich," he said, slipping the items through the bars as Lakitu grabbed them thankfully.

"Now listen," the host said. "I don't want you to break the rules ever again, hence not having the container in your possession." Lakitu nodded.

"But I will make an exception in just one case," he continued. "There will be a challenge the day after tomorrow. As being the one to suffer this night in a damp and humid stall, I'm giving you a chance to get back at them." Lakitu shrugged.

"In the challenge, there would be three parts," the host said. "You must immediately volunteer to be a person who rips people off." Lakitu nodded.

"As you are selling things," said the host, "A crew member disguised as a customer will leave a book and fifty coins on the table, 'accidentally'. If you give the book back, you will win an additional 15,000 coins. This is where you come into play. Without touching the book or money at all, you must persuade your partner to be a dishonest thief by adding the money into your own collection. By doing this, you will win a free exemption." Lakitu nodded again.

"Anyway, remember what I said," the host concluded. "Make your choice. Oh, and if the lights bother you too much, tell the guards to shut them off. Nighty night." With that, McHallyboo left Lakitu, tired and alone. He took a bite from his sandwich.

_Lakitu: This just sucks d—k. How could they even let me suffer in this jail cell for the entire night? Curse the others for beating me in the math riddle. _

* * *

The six who were gratis that night slept in a nearby hotel. Neither of the innocent ones was aware of which prisoners had been freed and which had been fated to stay in the police station.

* * *

POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAITING! POLICE ARE WAI- was the rude morning call for the hotel sleepers. But nothing compared to what Lakitu had went through.

At seven thirty in the morning, two cars split between the innocents and the escapers had arrived back at the police station. The passengers came out and met each other.

"Luigi!" Daisy exclaimed, as they hugged happily. "Thank goodness you weren't to stay in the jail cell last night."

"Toadette," Peach said in relief. "I'm glad you were able to escape and sleep in the hotel."

"Blooper, Toadette, and Luigi," Birdo noticed. "That means there is still one more inside the police station. Oh dear."

"Lakitu," said the host. The cage door opened, and Lakitu saw that all six other players were right in front of him, looking at him with compassion.

"Sorry, Lakitu," Daisy said. "Only three of you guys could get out of the cells."

"We feel really guilty," Blooper told him. "But no hard feelings, right? Though I can't blame you if you hate us now." They all lightly chuckled.

"No worry, I slept soundly," he reassured them. The others smiled, yet knew he wasn't telling the truth.

_Daisy: I felt awful for Lakitu. Even though I did the maximum I could on my part I couldn't help but feel that I should have helped more._

"With having the innocents all female," finished the host, "You have won the 20,000 coins for this challenge. Well done." They cheered for themselves for their first and last victory of the episode.

"Save your cheers for later," the host warned them. "We will be having our third execution tonight, and one of you will have to go home. We will leave immediately for the boat docks." He went to walk out of the station, as the rest followed him.

* * *

The seven of them would reach their next destination by boat. On the ferry, they were all promised that there would be no more challenges until the elimination that night. All had a spare eight hours to reflect their accumulated thoughts and evidence before they arrived at their next location.

Luigi and Daisy met each other on the walkway outside, where the only thing that blocked the passengers from falling into the water was a chain.

"So we're finally together, away from the others," said Daisy. "I don't get to see you as often anymore ever since I moved back to Sarasaland for my hair salon job."

"I know, but I mean, I'm just fine with that," he said humbly. "Okay, maybe I do miss that time when I got to visit you like everyday." A big gust of wind flew past them as they shivered.

"The view is so…clear and stunning," Daisy said, almost in a dreamful tone as they looked out to the sea.

"It's clear," said Luigi. "But not stunning." Daisy frowned at him, and then smiled.

"You know, you always have to disagree with me on everything," she told him. "But I think we can agree on one thing; neither one of us is the Mole." Luigi looked at her.

"You got that correct," Luigi said. "Hey, so where do you think we're heading next? I'm already starving. The sea looks too endless."

"Stop trying to change the subject," Daisy said teasingly. "I mean, who do you suspect it could be?"

"Who do I think?" Luigi asked. "Well, I don't know. In fact, I'm surprised I've made it this far in the game."

"I was going with Lakitu with a lot of my questions," said Daisy. "But after yesterday, I think he might just be trying his best like the rest of us are"

"I can trust Lakitu," Luigi said to her. "And I trusted Doopliss too. But now he's gone. It looks like all the innocent ones are disappearing." He sighed and stared out into the horizon once again.

"Yeah," she said, and then looked along with Luigi at the sea. "Hopefully none of us will be a victim for tonight's execution."

* * *

Peach and Toadette were sitting on one of the tables in the eating region, sipping from some apple juice Toadette had found in her bag.

"So, I think we're in a truce," Peach said after taking a long sip. Toadette nodded.

"I think you can call it a coalition in this game," Toadette added. "So you and I are together in a coalition?" She raised her hand, and Peach touched hers.

"Like we weren't in an alliance since Day 1 or anything," Peach told her sarcastically.

"I know," said Toadette.

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"Hope to die?" Toadette asked her. "Why would I promise someone when dying is involved in some way?"

"Just say it."

"Okay," Toadette said reluctantly. "Cross my heart two times and hope to die, whatever that means." The both went to throw out their apple juices.

"So," said Peach, as they sat down. "Who's the Mole?"

"I am," said Toadette. "I've been playing it all along, dummy."

"Funny," said Peach, raising her eyebrows. "The producers told me that _I _was the Mole."

"McHallyboo directly told me," Toadette argued. "He said I was it."

"Says you," Peach argued back. "I was assigned the Mole a month before this show even started."

"Stop lying."

"I'm the one telling the truth, not you."

"You are mistaken, for I am the one and only Mole," someone besides them announced. Birdo approached them, carrying a tray in her arms.

"The Mole wouldn't…give us food?" Peach and Toadette saw that there were three hotdogs on Birdo' tray as she put it down in front of them.

"This is pleasant!" Toadette said. "Why are you unusually nice today?"

"Can't I feel like it?" Birdo asked as she sat down on the other chair. "I'm not doing this to lay your suspicions off from me. I'm doing what I feel like doing."

"Well," said Peach, "If I win the money, I'll definitely pay you back." They dug into their hotdogs and smoothies.

* * *

Blooper and Lakitu were walking around the ferry, wherever they could go. The two players who never before seemed to talk to each other talked to each other.

"How was the cell?" Blooper asked Lakitu with a grin. Lakitu let out a frustrated sigh.

"I hated that challenge," Lakitu said. "It smelled like, you know, shat. They refused to turn off the lights, and since the pillow I receive was big enough, I used it to cover the top part of my body."

"Gosh, that must have sucked," commented Blooper. "So anyway, what are your suspicions of the others?"

"You tell me first," Lakitu told him.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Okay, so my first suspect is Luigi. When he's gone, then I'm almost sure it's Peach. If she goes too, then I'm a hundred percent sure on Toadette."

"Birdo and…Peach," Lakitu said. "Birdo's been all innocent, right? Maybe she's it."

"Then she would be sabotaging the games," pointed out Blooper. "And besides that little mishap we were informed about in the Hostage Rescue, she had not sabotaged _any _game on the list so far."

"She messed up on her food in the Food challenge, and then she told me the wrong stuff in her luggage," Lakitu pointed out. "That's enough."

"If I were you," Blooper said, "I would really be looking at Luigi. He's been making these little mistakes that are costing us big money. Giving his cap to Rawk Hawk and breaking the rules; perfect start of sabotage. Taking the exemption yesterday to take away money from the team…"

"He made bad choices," Lakitu said. "I myself had messed up a few times so far. But never mind that, because I'm not the Mole."

"Second, Peach," Blooper said. "She didn't return back to the Noki hotel in time despite knowing its navigations. She probably screwed up the radar in the boat. And she has no use for the money because she's stinking' rich."

"You could have screwed up the radar," Lakitu pointed out. "And people could become richer, right?"

* * *

"I think you and I have forgotten one thing," Luigi said suddenly, breaking the stillness in the air. He pulled out a green-colored card with a thumbprint logo.

"Exemption!"

"Oh, right!" Daisy exclaimed. "I totally forgot that you were safe and sound for this episode." They hugged each other happily, knowing that half of their worries for the night were gone.

"I guess this exemption makes me not have to fret today," Luigi said thankfully. He looked at Daisy, who was looking out into the distance.

"Just promise that you won't be the one to go," said Luigi quietly. "Just umm, take your time and think of all the choices. Think before you pick. Yup, that's the phrase."

"You know I'll do okay," Daisy reassured. "I've made it through two rounds already."

* * *

"What I thought first," said Birdo, "Was that Peach was the Mole." Peach looked stunned.

"You think I'm the Mole?" she asked her.

"Possibilities," Birdo told her. "But then again, Toadette would have been gone by now if you were the traitor."

"Hey, that's true," Toadette realized. "So I guess I can confirm that Peach is really innocent."

"I think the Mole is Blooper," Peach said. "But I'm just saying it for facts. He almost killed us in the Egg challenge."

"What a coincidence, all three of us were with him," noticed Toadette. "Okay, he didn't know how to use a compass needle. Either he was really stupid or was trying to waste our time."

"And then he blames me so much for fiddling around with the radar while saving Luigi," Peach added. "I did not do ANYTHING with it! The only type of person to be quick to blame others is the one who was involved, and so I think he was the one who malfunctioned it."

* * *

"Third, Toadette," Blooper continued. "She's seems so hidden, and she messed up in the Baggage challenge."

"Hey, I did too," Lakitu noticed.

"She got two bags wrong," Blooper pointed out. "And I'm definitely suspecting her because she distinctively chose _my_ bag to be the wrong one out of the nine. Then, she entered the clue location in the Clue challenge and started to cry and act all innocent."

"Although she did choose to go inside, I was the one who lured her," Lakitu admitted. "But ignore that, because I'm not the Mole. So perhaps Toadette. And Peach. And Luigi."

"Okay, your turn," Blooper said.

"Luigi, Peach, and Toadette."

"You're kidding right?" Blooper said, sighing.

"What?" said Lakitu. "There's nothing wrong with taking the opinions of others, and I have no clue on who the Mole is. I'm going with the people you said."

"Okay," said Blooper slowly. "What if I'm wrong? What then? You're screwed."

"You'll be screwed too," Lakitu told him.

* * *

The two lovebirds decided to go down the list.

"Birdo." started Luigi

"No way. Impossible," Daisy replied. "If she was the Mole then she stinks at her job."

"Peach."

"Meh, could be. Could be not. She's smart yet tricky."

"Lakitu."

"I would say…he might just a bit, for his quick actions. I am less suspecting him though."

"Toadette?"

"Maybe, but she's a bit too emotional, unlike the Mole should be."

"Blooper."

"I would say it's possible, though I'm uncertain. He's rather intelligent at some moments."

"Luigi?"

"Oh, stop kidding around."

"Daisy?"

"Luigi!" They both laughed as they headed back inside.

* * *

"Lakitu is a choice," Birdo told them. "He had been messing up some games; Baggage challenge, Food challenge."

"I know," said Toadette, agreeing. "I've always thought it was him, just for him volunteering to do stuff so quickly. Hello, I'm Lakitu. I want to do the first Baggage challenge. I want to find the clue first in the bar. Hello, I want to be the first arrested." The three chuckled.

"And then Luigi," Birdo said. "Something really…pulls me closer to him in being the Mole. He's been sabotaging at the right places. I mean, he's a scaredy cat and all, but I think it's a double bluff."

"Well, good luck to us all of us on the execution quiz," Peach said. They nodded and agreed.

* * *

To kill time for a few of them, there were three video arcade games on the bottom floor; Space Intergalactic, Tic Tac Toe Debt, and Ala Boobie's Twelfth Adventure.

"I'm getting addicted to the space game," Blooper said, as he went to destroy more spaceships. Peach and Daisy were playing Tic Tac Toe Debt.

"Wow, what an odd name," said Daisy. "And an odd game. Just like Tic Tac Toe, but the entire square is spinning around." The screen displayed Game Over, with a message below it: The Mole is just hidden.

"This name has got to be a joke," Lakitu said. "Ala Boobie's Twelfth Adventure? Retarded." A fat obese pixel character was jumping up and down, sitting down on enemies under his own weight whenever he could get the chance. After defeating an enemy, a strange mushroom-like blob said a message:

"Thank you AlaMar Boobieio. But the princess is in another castle."

"I think it's a hacked version of Mario Brothers," Blooper told him.

* * *

The rest of their hours were up to them to talk about. But after an extensive time of eight hours, they all got a surprising call by the host.

"We will be docking shortly," he announced into the loud speakers situated in different locations. "You all will be having the execution quiz…on board the ferry." Half of the players who were still sleeping at the time had to be woken up unexpectedly, and they were each brought into a cabin room one by one where a laptop was situated. The quiz had begun.

_**1. What is the Mole's occupation?**_

_**-Air Traffic Controller**_

_**-Gardener/Florist**_

_**-Hair Salon Owner**_

_**-Emergency Nurse**_

_**-Plumber**_

_**-Sea Scavenger**_

_**-Tennis Trainer**_

_**2. What month is the Mole born in?**_

_**-January**_

_**-February**_

_**-May**_

_**-June**_

_**-November**_

_Peach: I am going with Blooper, but partially going for other answers as well. As long as I score enough, then I'd be safe._

_**3. What role did the Mole play during the Hostage Rescue?**_

_**-Tranquil Traveler**_

_**-Ocean Drifter**_

_**-Wild Roamer**_

_**-Hostage**_

_Toadette: I can't be certain on who I'm going to pick this time. Lakitu has always been a high candidate for me…woo, dear._

_**4. Was the Mole ever present at the cliff within the two hours?**_

_**-Present**_

_**-Not present**_

_Daisy: For this quiz, I would be not going for Luigi or Lakitu. Lakitu has been evading my mind. I think Peach might be it, really._

_**5. In what order was the Mole first questioned by the host about opening the container in the Jail Rescue Challenge?**_

_**-First**_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third**_

_**-Fourth**_

_**-Fifth**_

_**-Sixth**_

_**-Never**_

_Blooper: Luigi is really one of my choices. It's just how he's been playing. Toadette, she's been playing strange too._

_**6. Which was the result of the Mole in the Jail Escape?**_

_**-Innocent, gave check in**_

_**-Guilty, escaped**_

_**-Guilty, prisoner**_

_**7. On the ferry, did the Mole play with the arcade games at all?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

_Lakitu: I am going with Peach and Birdo. Birdo is just suspicious, unlike what Blooper says._

_**8. What did the Mole eat for dinner at the night of the Jail Rescue?**_

_**-Wood Ear restaurant food**_

_**-Burritos and Soda**_

_Birdo: I'm crossing my fingers for luck. Blooper, I would definitely go with for the facts. Luigi too, he's a definite suspect._

_**9. Where was the Mole during the Late Delivery challenge?**_

_**-Room 785**_

_**-Room 786**_

_**-Room 787**_

_**-Room 788**_

_**-Delivering**_

_Luigi: Taking the test, I don't have to a worry. I feel a little guilty for taking the exemption, but I honestly a think it was a safe idea._

_**10. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Blooper**_

_**-Lakitu**_

_**-Birdo**_

_**-Toadette**_

_**-Peach**_

_**-Daisy**_

_**-Luigi**_

The boat was already docked by the time all the players had gathered near the main entrance. McHallyboo was sitting down with a keyboard in front of him and was looking at the TV screen in the corner. All the bags of the players were just outside in a van. Any seven of them could be the one to leave.

"Welcome," said the host. "To your third execution. As you may have noticed the boat instructions safety video television had been replaced for our needs." They all saw the small screen in the corner, above the host.

"We will determine once again who stays, and who goes. If I type your name and the screen turns green, you are safe. If it's red, you will have to leave the game immediately and get off the boat first. Our third elimination had begun." He looked at Luigi, and typed his name in.

"Exemption, please," said the host. Luigi handed the card to him, and he slid into a part of the keyboard.

L-U-I-G-I

EXEMPTED

He smiled at Daisy, who smiled back.

"Blooper," the host said. His name was typed, and Blooper stayed perfectly still as his name was entered.

B-L-O-O-P-E-R

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

He gave out a sigh of relief, and the host looked at Peach.

"Peach," said the host. Toadette held her hand in hope as Peach watched anxiously.

P-E-A-C-H

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

Her eyes widened with relief, and she smiled.

"Birdo," the host called. Peach and Daisy smiled at her as Birdo seemed to be closing her eyes.

B-I-R-D-O

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a deep breath.

"Daisy," the host said. Luigi watched her, as Daisy watched the screen with anticipation.

D-A-I-S-Y

...

...

...

...

...

**_RED_**

"Oh no," she said, as the host turned off the screen. The six others seemed immediately sad. Luigi's mouth was agape.

"But...but..." began Luigi, at a loss for words.

"Daisy, we must go," said McHallyboo.

"Good bye Daisy."

"We'll miss you!"

"Thanks everyone," she said, as she followed the host out of the ferry. They watched her leave out the window.

"Why Daisy!" Luigi said out loud. "It just had to be her. I mean, that just ruins this game for me." He sulked in his chair.

"She was one of the best players," said Birdo, feeling sad herself. "It's a shame she had to go and leave us. I thought she would be sticking around to the end."

"She did an awesome job in the Egg challenge," Blooper remembered. "And she did her best in everything. She never sabotaged."

* * *

All six bags were taken out of the van except for the one with Daisy's name on it. The van had a symbol of two snakes wrapped around a pole, and the lights of the van shone through the dark town.

"It's been really fun!" Daisy told the host.

"There's no doubt you enjoyed the game so far," the host said. "Sadly however, you have to go as the third executed." She shrugged.

"What will you remember the most from this experience?" he asked her.

"Just being with the others," she said. "The egg challenge was really exciting too, especially since I won for that game. And the cliff jumps was exciting. I won't forget the luggage game ever." The host and she chuckled.

"You've been a great player," the host said. "But sadly, you had scored the lowest on the quiz."

"Yes, I know," Daisy said, smiling sadly, and then she looked at the screen. "Luigi, you know who I'm cheering for. You better win this for me!"

* * *

"I'm just relieved," Toadette said, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back any crying, "That I wasn't the one to go tonight. Yet I feel guiltier that someone else, Daisy, had to go."

"I know," said Peach gloomily. "Now I really feel like crying myself. Nobody suspected her at all, not even once."

"I guess the Mole is deceitful," Lakitu said. "Now with her gone, there are only six of us left in the game."

* * *

"Take care," the host said to Daisy, as the princes left off in the van at exactly 7:30 P.M. He turned away to face the boat, and then faced the town they arrived in once again.

"Rogueport," he exclaimed. "The town of thieves and bandits. A perfect home for the Mole."

* * *

**Daisy is eliminated. Shame that she's going to miss Rogueport. Only six left and 60,000 coins are in the team pot.**

**What does Episode 4 and the Mole have in store for us?**

**P.S. If you have read this far, I suggest you review :) I won't say why though, but just...yeah, I'll leave that up to you.**


	11. Temptation and Laughs

**Episode 4**

_The traitor had taken another victim. Daisy's mind was manipulated to trust the saboteur, and in result, she failed the test miserably. The third to go, Daisy was well liked by the others and obviously missed after her disappearance from the game. Six contestants now remain, having the chance to gain over an additional 300,000 coins. But it's not as easy as it looks, because still among them is the person intended to interrupt their success: The Mole._

Luigi

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

Peach

Surname: Toadstool

Birthday: February 3

Occupation: Tennis Trainer

Blooper

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

Lakitu

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

Toadette

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emercency Nurse

Birdo

Surname: Bowtie

Birthday: June 2

Occupation: Gardener/Florist

* * *

_Luigi: Why, oh, why did Daisy leave? I feel so insulted and feel like giving up now. But then again, I will win this game for her. _

_Lakitu: Well, I'm really sorry Daisy was executed last night. She had just started to trust me and I just started to trust her yesterday._

_Peach: My suspicions have really altered yesterday. I mean, Daisy was executed and there was just one person she could have believed wasn't the Mole._

_Blooper: I think that the Mole is really trying to kill people off one by one until the weakest victims are left. Like Agatha Christie's story __And Then There Were None.__ I'll be the last to go hopefully._

_Birdo: This game has put me into a different world. I'm away from my home, as all the current events are happening and I'm missing out. Yoshi is probably wondering where I had gone. Did I ever tell him that I signed up for this show?_

_Toadette: I really miss home because I'm not really used to traveling around the place at all. I don't want to think about my mom and sister anymore. I get all teary when I do._

_

* * *

_

It was nine o'clock in the morning, a sunny day in the town of Rogueport. They had all got plenty of rest last night during the ferry ride and the sleep in the Inn.

"Good to see you, contestants," said McHallyboo. They replied the same.

"Please split into three groups," he ordered them. "I need the two people who make the most attractive choices. Two people who like to rip people off. And two people who are the least sociable. Fifteen seconds."

"Toadette and I," Peach said quickly. "We make good choices." The others nodded with no disagreement, and Toadette agreed.

"Luigi, you're not sociable," Blooper said. Luigi agreed.

"I like to rip people off," said Lakitu quickly, before anyone could take the place. He remembered the exemption offer he was told about.

"I'm not sociable either," Birdo said.

"I guess I like ripping people off," concluded Blooper. Fifteen seconds was up.

"I will now tell you your rules for this challenge," the host said. "There are two required parts. Toadette and Peach will be doing one thing, while Blooper and Lakitu would do the other. After their part is completed, Luigi and Birdo would do part number two. Ready to know what your mission is, unsociable ones?" They both nodded nervously.

"You must collect at least one minute of laughter," said the host, raising a video camera out from his jacket. Luigi and Birdo smiled, confused.

"There must be one, full minute of laughter from other people besides the two of you," he explained. "Listen carefully. As they laugh, they must never be able to see this video camera you are recording them with. Otherwise your mission will be failed. And they must laugh about something you guys perform, so don't rely on any other street clowns to do you job."

"Ai, I hate this," muttered Luigi. "This challenge sucks."

"Toadette, Peach," the host said. "Follow me." The two of them followed him to the West side of Rogueport.

* * *

The talking was all over the place. Tens after tens of shop stands were everywhere as they entered into the area of the market. 

"Welcome to the weekly Rogueport Market Place," the host said to them. "Your goal is to choose wisely. Here are one hundred coins." He handed the money to the two girls.

"What do we do?" Peach asked.

"You must buy at least ten items," explained the host. "Any ten items that add up to a maximum of one hundred coins. They could be the same item twice for all I care. I won't tell you what they will be involved with later, but for now, you have fifteen minutes. Hint for the two of you; bargain." With that, he left them in the middle of the selling chaos.

"Bargain," Toadette said. "I don't know how to bargain."

"I'm just concerned on how these items would play later on," Peach said.

They traveled to stand after stand, looking at the different items. Little did they actually consider bargaining, which they should have done.

"Let's go for really attractive things," said Peach. She bought a watch from a lady.

Silver Watch: 10c

"That shovel looks nice," Toadette said.

Three-foot long Shovel: 9c

"I think I like that shirt," Peach commented.

Magenta Blouse: 5c

"A large mirror," decided Toadette

Mirror: 10c

"A mardi gras jewelry box," Peach said.

Jewelry: 3c

"Oh, little shoes," spotted Toadette.

Feminine Child shoes: 8c

"Face cream," Peach said.

Face Cream: 3c

"And three pumpkins, 4 coins each," Toadette finished, carrying them into the basket they were holding.

"Wait," she remembered, "The host said that we had to have at least ten things. Should we get more?"

"I don't know," Peach replied. "I think it's fine with ten." She looked around.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"You follow me," said the host suddenly, who appeared behind them. "And what a variety of items for the other two to sell."

"Sell?" repeated Toadette.

"You see," he pointed out, "They must make at least fifty percent of the money back, while you girls just watch from a balcony."

"Okay," said Peach. They were both happy that their part of the game was accomplished as they went into a house.

_Peach: I wouldn't think it would be that easy for the others two to sell our items. I mean, would there be anyone willing to buy a shovel or Mardi gras jewelry?_

* * *

"Come here, come here," the host said to Lakitu and Blooper, who made it through the crowd of people unharmed. He led them to a wooden stand with an empty table, and the two players could only guess what their mission would be. 

"Here are the items the girls bought," McHallyboo said, as he brought up the basket. One by one he placed them on the table, as Blooper and Lakitu looked with uncertainty. They cringed when they saw one of the pumpkins, smashed in the side.

"Now, here is a walkie-talkie," he said, handing it to Lakitu. "Once you earn at least ninety coins from the items, you will talk into this and say that you're finished."

"Do we have to sell just this stuff?" asked Blooper.

"If you've sold all your stuff, and you still don't have ninety coins, then the rest is up to you. You have two hours. Begin." He left the two, puzzled and lost.

Part one of the Sell and Laugh Challenge was for Lakitu and Blooper to earn at least ninety coins from the items bought by Peach and Toadette in the market. Once they finished, Luigi and Birdo would do Part two. After their one minute of laughter was collected on video the challenge would be completed. Part 1 and Part 2 were each worth 10,000c and the group has two hours to successfully complete both parts.

At one hour through the challenge, a cast member dressed up as a shopper would intentionally leave fifty coins on the table of Lakitu and Blooper. If they gave it back, the challenge would be worth 15,000c. If they kept the money, then the challenge would only be worth 5,000c. 

If Lakitu would be able to persuade Blooper into not giving the money back without touching it, then Lakitu would receive an exemption but cost the team money. However, if Blooper gave back the money to the cast member against Lakitu's persuasion, then Blooper would win the free exemption.

* * *

"A large shovel, little shoes, blouse, pumpkins," Blooper said as he looked at their items. "Wow, what is this junk?" 

"A man's garbage is another man's treasure," Lakitu reminded him. Nobody seemed to be coming up to their stall.

"They picked horrible pumpkins," Blooper noticed. One of the three pumpkins was almost green and not even ripe. Another one was smashed on its side and not even sellable, its slimy entrails seeping across the table.

"Oooh," said a koopa troopa lady. "How much is this watch?" Lakitu and Blooper looked at each other.

"Uh…fifty coins!" Lakitu said. She seemed taken back.

"Oh, that's too much," she said disappointedly, as she walked away. Blooper glared at him.

"You can never set a bargaining price," Blooper told him, sighing heavily.

"Hey, we're supposed to rip people off," Lakitu reminded him.

_Lakitu: I remembered that exemption offer I was told about when I was in jail. I wasn't sure if I was going to take it or not, but I knew it would cost the team money._

_Blooper: Fifty coins? Come on Lakitu, what are you doing? Don't bash our customers away with sad prices._

_

* * *

_

"Wow," said Toadette, seeing the koopa troopa walk away from the sellers' stall. "They must have really tried to rip her off." Peach and she laughed.

"Is that pumpkin smashed?" Peach noticed, looking closely at it from up in the balcony. "And what is Blooper doing? He's trying to dig into it."

"Oh," said Toadette. "It seems like our items weren't really a good choice. I feel sorry for them."

"I hope they don't under price some stuff," Peach hoped.

* * *

A female toad came to their stall for the face cream, which they sold for 5c. 

"Five coins," said Lakitu. "Eighteen more of these and we are finished." A few minutes later another female toad came up to them.

"How much is that box with the Mardi gras stuff?" she asked them.

"Oh," said Blooper. "We bought it for twenty coins. But…just for you, I'll sell for ten."

"Okay!" the toad said happily. The exchange was made.

"_That's _how you rip people off," Blooper told Lakitu. Lakitu chuckled, and then leaned again the stall stand. He was waiting for the "customer" to arrive.

A few minutes passed. Lakitu was able to sell the silver watch for 15c.

Shop till: 30 coins

"We have little girl shoes, a long shovel, a large mirror, pink blouse, one good pumpkin and two strange ones." Lakitu looked at the items in dissatisfaction.

"I really feel like selling my cap," Blooper told Lakitu. "It'll be useless trying to sell these stuff.

"It's been twenty minutes," Lakitu told him. A koopa troopa came up to the table and looked around, wearing a top hat. Lakitu thought that he was the cast member.

"These items are absolute rubbish," he commented. Lakitu spat the gum in his mouth onto the floor in surprise, and Blooper tightened one of his tentacles in rage.

"Leave!" Blooper exclaimed. "Out, out!" The koopa troopa looked startled and walked away, as customers went to turn momentarily at Blooper's outburst. After seeing the disappeared commotion they then resumed their shopping.

"Spoiled snob," Blooper said under his breath. "No good dirty snob he doesn't take things for granted."

_Lakitu: I think the best way to have sabotaged this game was with the buying. You can never sell a shovel in Rougeport, and these pumpkins are horrible chosen. What were Toadette and Peach thinking?_

_Toadette: I was hoping that they wouldn't be blaming us for the bad items, cause we had no idea what we were going to do with the stuff anyway. _

Thirty minutes, and only three items sold. A young goomba boy went up their table.

"Golly, what a perfect pumpkin," the goomba said.

"Five coins and it's yours," Blooper offered him. He seemed to accept it.

"And buy the other one when you're at it," Lakitu added. The goomba turned to look at the smashed-open one with the orange insides exposed. He looked at it in disgust.

"I don't meaning to be rude or anything," he said, "But I really don't want it."

"How about two pumpkins for three coins?" Lakitu said. "Three pumpkins?" He held up the green one.

"Sure, mister!" he said. He gave Lakitu three coins and was given the bag with the three pumpkins. He ran off in excitement. Blooper's face looked stunned.

"Oh, good job," Blooper told him. "Great selling."

"Give him a break," Lakitu protested. "He looked nine or something. Do you have a problem with that? Huh?"

"No, I don't," Blooper said. "Just go on. Sell more things."

Shop till: 33 coins

* * *

"They just gave the goomba all three pumpkins," realized Peach. 

"They probably ripped him off heavily," Toadette said. "Poor him."

* * *

Forty-five minutes. At least ten people had gone up to the table, but none seemed interested with the remaining four items. 

"I like that blouse," a little koopa troopa girl said, picking it up.

"You want it?" Blooper asked her. "Only ten coins."

"How about eight?" she suggested.

"Deal." She was given the dress, and the two of them were given the eight coins.

Shop till: 41 coins 

A goomba lady came up to their table and looked over the items. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the shoes.

"Those shoes are just phenomenal," Lakitu told her. "Do you have a little girl at home who's ready to try new styles?"

"Oh, no," said the goomba, slightly amused. "No, it's fine. I don't need the shoes."

"Well," thought Lakitu quickly, "You never know when that lucky man would arrive in your life. When that child comes you'll look into the past and be so grateful to have considered buying this pair of little yellow shoes for your little darling." The goomba looked shocked.

"Well, excuse me," she scoffed, "But at age seventy I am not that sexually active in my days anymore. Hmmph!" She tossed her head and walked away, leaving a surprised Lakitu and an angry Blooper.

"Wow," said Lakitu. "She looked thirty."

"You keep on screwing us up!" Blooper told him. Lakitu just shrugged.

_Blooper: Lakitu wasn't ripping off other people. He was ripping off himself._

Nobody came to their stall for another few minutes. All the customers seemed to be interested at the other items the other stalls were selling, and Blooper and Lakitu's hopes seemed to disappear.

"Excuse me," said an old koopa troopa. Lakitu looked up at him in exhaustion.

"Look around," he said in a tired voice, "And I'll give you the item for a discount." The man looked around at the four objects, picking one or two up and examining it.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But I don't find anything particular in interest." Lakitu sighed as the man walked off. He turned to Blooper and expected to see a face of fury. But he seemed bedazzled.

"Look," he whispered, pointing to a book on the table. Great Expectations.

"I've seen that book before," Lakitu noticed. "But I don't like books. This is why I'm wearing glasses, because books destroyed my vision."

"No," said Blooper. He lifted the first page to reveal a plastic zip-lock bag full of coins. Lakitu's mouth dropped wide open. The koopa troopa was the stranger.

"Umm, let's keep it!" Lakitu said immediately. He was going for the exemption.

"Are you serious?" Blooper told him. He picked up the book and the money and opened the bag, counting the coins one by one.

"Thirty-five, forty, forty-five, fifty!" Blooper put the coins back into the plastic bag. "That's a lot of money." He looked around him to make sure there was nobody spying on them.

"With that money our challenge is complete," Lakitu realized. "Come on!"

"But shouldn't we give it back?" Blooper said, considering the action for a split second.

"It's his fault," Lakitu reminded him. "Let's just say he was a charity giver or something." The old koopa troopa was just a few feet away from them, examining another stall. Blooper looked at him and then looked at the money.

"Okay, okay," he whispered, sliding the coins into their shop till container. Lakitu grinned and was dancing in the inside of him. But at the same time, his dance moves showed heavy guilt.

Shop till: 91 coins

"We're finished!" Blooper said into the walkie-talkie. They both slapped each other's hands in victory

_Blooper: I cannot believe we just did that. We just stole from an old man and cheated. We didn't even give the book back to him._

_Lakitu: I pretty much got the exemption now._

* * *

"What?" said Peach, seeing them talk into their walkie-talkie. "They're _finished_?" 

"That was kind of quick," said Toadette in surprise. "I guess they were good scammers after all."

"Funny," Peach commented. "They didn't even sell all the items."

* * *

It was one hour and ten minutes into the time that had. Luigi and Birdo got their queue to start their mission. 

"Fifty minutes left," Birdo told him. She was holding a small camera in her hand and Luigi was walking around nervously. "We can start now."

"But I don't a know what to do!" he told her. "How do I make people laugh like crazy?"

"That's your job," Birdo told him. "I'll make sure nobody looks at this camera I'm holding. I'll video tape under my jacket."

_Luigi: Why did I volunteer to be the least sociable? I didn't know that I was going to have to do this._

_Birdo: I can…not make people laugh. I sort of ordered Luigi to do the dirty work. I feel kind of guilty._

There was a crowd in front of the gallows in the middle of Rogueport. Many crowds of people were passing to and fro, and Luigi tapped his fingers nervously.

"Come on," Birdo said. "We need one full minute."

"Ayayaya…" said Luigi in an anxious voice. "It's hard." He then began his challenge. He was walking towards the middle of the crowd as Birdo recorded. Further and further he walked until he slipped onto the hard floor.

"Ouch!" he yelled. "My foot!" Birdo held her own laughing at Luigi's sad attempt. A few people stopped, looking more stunned than laughing as Luigi rolled on the ground in agony. An old goomba went up to him.

"Are you okay fellow?" he said cautiously. Luigi got up from the ground to the surprise of the others.

"Yes," he said sheepishly. "I'm okay." The people and the old man left Luigi as he walked slowly up to Birdo. Birdo laughed.

"Umm, not a bad try," Birdo said in an amused tone. "But you scared them more than you made them laugh."

"What did you expect?" he asked her. "We're going to fail this a challenge and lose if I can't do this correctly."

It was already ten minutes passed, as Luigi tried his second attempt. He walked to the center of the town.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" he cried. The entire scene of busy people seemed to hush into a spell. Birdo put her hand over her mouth in shock.

_Birdo: Oh, my dearest thee. Yelling for help would not attract any laughing. A hundred people were looking at Luigi. I wanted him to disappear and I felt embarrassed for him._

_Luigi: I don't know what I was thinking. I was trying to be funny but I failed._

Birdo zoomed up to three koopa troopas. They were snickering.

"False alarm!" Luigi yelled. There were stares of disbelief from the crowd around him and Luigi seemed to melt in humiliation. Thirty seconds passed, and Luigi hastily ran back to Birdo for the second time.

"I feel like an idiot," Luigi said. "I will never win this."

"You can do better than that," Birdo reassured. "Hey, I got about four seconds of laughing. Go again for another try and I'll try to video tape more."

"How about this?" Luigi suggested. "Why don't _I _do the video taping while you do the laughing job?" Birdo seemed to look stunned.

"I, umm," she protested, "Nobody will laugh at all me because I, uhh---" Without warning Luigi calmly grabbed the camera from her, leaving Birdo helpless.

"Do not blame me if I do worse than you," she said humbly. Luigi seemed to smile and held the camera up at Birdo, as she seemed to walk into the crowd.

_Birdo: What could I do to make people laugh? I tried to look at it the other way. What could people do to make _me_ laugh? As I seemed almost hopeless I got an idea._

She walked up to a lady toad who seemed to be going nowhere in the crowd. This was Birdo's chance.

"Excuse me," Birdo asked, as the toad turned to look at her. "Do you know if there's a…booty bangy bag shop around here?" The toad looked at her…and laughed.

"Unbelievable," said the video taping Luigi, whose camera was catching every moment.

"A what?" the toad asked Birdo. She seemed to be ashamed in herself for laughing out loud. Birdo tried her best to keep a straight face.

"A booty bangy bag," Birdo repeated. The toad laughed out loud again for three seconds.

"I'm sorry," she said, then walked away with a grin. Birdo faced Luigi and ran over to him.

"You are the success!" Luigi told her. "I knew you would be better than me." Birdo seemed rather happy.

"How much time of laughing did I get?" she asked him. Looking at the footage, she and Luigi deleted all the moments where there weren't laughing between her conversation with the toad. Eight seconds.

"That's twelve seconds total," said Luigi. "Birdo, do it again! Go, go!" Birdo walked her way back into the town center.

"Pardon," she said to a goomba. "There was a bitty bang bangy place around here." The goomba seemed surprised and smiled in confusion, but didn't laugh.

"Bitty bang?" he asked.

"Bitty bang where bang poop," Birdo said, her words flying out randomly. The goomba's laughing nerves kicked in and he laughed for at least five seconds. Then he laughed more. Luigi kept the video taping going.

"I, I have no idea," he said, laughing through his talking. "Good day." He walked off. Birdo ran to Luigi.

"Thirteen seconds!" said a stunned Luigi. "Holey moley, you're good at this."

"They seem to find the word 'bang' funny," Birdo told him.

"Whatever you're telling them just don't stop," said Luigi, as Birdo went in for her third time.

* * *

Every person that Birdo asked help for only laughed in reply. She had a total of six people, and a total of twenty minutes had passed. 

"Bitty witty bang?"

"Poop going bag bang?"

"Bang baggy bang prissy piss?"

"Fifty three seconds of nothing but laughing!" exclaimed Luigi, after all the editing had been made in the camera. "You are the humor goddess." Birdo seemed flattered by his comment.

"Gosh, I really don't know what to say," she told him. "I've never been so funny in my life before."

"We have twelve minutes to get seven seconds," Luigi informed. Into the town center Birdo went for her last time. She wanted to make it simple.

"Hi," she said to a little koopa troopa girl who was sitting on the gallows stand. "Want to play a laughing game?" She seemed confused but agreed without hesitation.

"Okay!" she said. "How do you play?" Birdo gave the girl her most welcoming smile.

"All you have to do is laugh," instructed Birdo, "For at least seven seconds. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay," the girl said, "But I need something to laugh about. Can you tell me a joke? Please??" Birdo thought quickly.

"Why did the wheels on the bus stop moving?" she asked her.

"I don't know."

"Because they were too tired!" The girl had a remarkable fake laugh. She laughed and laughed, and the more she laughed the larger Luigi's smile grew. Five seconds, six, seven…

"We did it!" Luigi said, running up to her with joy. The girl looked up at Luigi, then at Birdo. They seemed excited and full of glee.

"Did I win?" the koopa troopa asked in perplexity. "Did I?"

"Here's a lollipop for being so good," Luigi told her, fishing into his pocket. He found nothing but coins.

"Here, take three coins," he said. The girl beamed and walked away.

"Mission is complete," Birdo spoke into the walkie-talkie. They were done.

* * *

The six players met inside an apartment at 12:00 noon. They were all sitting in chairs, and the host was sitting in front of them besides a television. 

"Greetings, and welcome back," he said. The group replied the same.

"You had two hours to complete both parts," he said. "Both were worth 10,000 coins. Let's see how the Market people did. Lakitu and Blooper." They both sat straight in their chairs.

"They were able to make back fifty percent of the money Peach and Toadette had spent," the host told everyone. "Well done." They clapped happily, and Blooper seemed to bow. But Lakitu stood still in his chair.

"However, there was something that needs to be told," the host interrupted, as the six of them hushed quiet. "Lakitu, please tell them." Although reluctant, Lakitu had no other choice.

"I was offered an exemption when I was in jail," he admitted. "If I were to trick Blooper into keeping the money that a shopper had dropped on our table, the challenge would be worth less and I would win the free pass." The group seemed to be let down by their peer, Blooper being the maddest of them all.

"You greedy, little…" Blooper started, not bothering to finish his sentence.

"If you had given our assistant back his money," said the host, looking at Blooper, "You would have received the free exemption instead, and the challenge would have been worth 15,000 coins. But now, all you have won with completing part 1 is 5,000c." The clapping was toned down at Lakitu's act of greed.

"Part 2 involved Birdo and Luigi," the host said. "Birdo was the star and managed to create all the laughing that was captured on film." The others cheered for her, as she sat in her chair modestly.

"The footage they had taken is all on this television," said McHallyboo, inserting the disc in the TV. "But unfortunately by looking at it, I'm afraid you have failed your mission."

* * *

**Ouch...too bad for Birdo and Luigi. What (rather crazy) challenge will be in store for the next part? Just wait and see...**


	12. Craps in a Challenge

**Episode 4 (part 2)**

Birdo and Luigi seemed lost at the host's statement. Without further waiting, the disc of their footage was played on the television and immediately shown was a laughing female toad. The other four who were not present during the mission seemed amused.

"Ahahaha!" laughed another old goomba who appeared on the TV. Peach, Toadette, Lakitu and Blooper burst into laughter.

"This is so funny for some reason," Blooper admitted, seeing the continuous laughing after thirty seconds through.

"You made these people laugh on your own?" Toadette asked Birdo in amazement. Birdo shrugged and half-smiled. Six adults were shown laughing throughout the first fifty-three seconds, and for the last seven seconds, a child koopa troopa was shown laughing.

"Aww, her laugh is so adorable," Peach couldn't help saying. The girl then suddenly looked at the screen, right at them. The host paused the DVD and stood with his arms crossed. He seemed to be waiting for somebody to say something. Lakitu shivered at the hypnotizing stare of the little koopa troopa.

"Oh, I see," Luigi said after ten seconds. "Oh, shoot."

"What's so bad?" said Lakitu.

"She's looking at us," Birdo noticed. "Oh dear."

"I had instructed at the beginning of the challenge," the host said, "To never let any of the laughing people notice that the video camera existed. This little girl clearly spotted it. You have failed Part 2." The group of players was disappointed.

"Out of twenty-five thousand coins, you have gained only one-fifth of it."

**Team Pot**

**65,000c**

"Remember, Lakitu will be safe for this episode's executions," the host told them. "Did he do if for his own hunger, or was there any sabotage played in there? Did he purposely stay in the jail cell to have the chance of losing money?" Looks were on Lakitu, who shook his head.

"Or perhaps we should look at Luigi, who was holding the camera while the others laughed," added the host. "He did not purposely reveal it to the crowd. Or did he?" Luigi frowned.

"Or maybe Toadette and Peach did a crappy job with the choice pickings," the host added. "One of them were probably aware that the items had to be sold later on." They looked at each other and grinned.

"Please meet at the Podley Inn at 3:00 P.M. sharp," the host ordered. He exited the apartment, and so did the others.

* * *

_Toadette: I felt bad for Birdo. She really went to the limits and deserved the right to add money to the pot. Luigi definitely played a role in the lost money, but he's not really a choice of mine._

_Birdo: I was disappointed that we didn't win anything for the Laughing part. I can't help but feel that maybe Luigi purposely exposed the camera to the girl. He didn't keep it hidden like I told him to, and that was against the rules._

_Blooper: Luigi. You have added a second act of sabotage that I will add to my list. So had Lakitu with his inability to sell things. He gave three pumpkins away for less than what one pumpkin costs._

_Lakitu: Toadette and Peach really tried to mess up the buying part. One of them knew that we were going to have to sell these, and they clearly tried to sabotage this. Both of them are my suspects. Toadette mostly, because she's been a suspect already._

_Peach: Lakitu is really suspicious, and I mean, I think getting the exemption was just a cover-up to subtract the 10,000c. Or maybe he's just so desperate. I'm sticking with the sabotage thought more. But I'm looking at Blooper still._

_Luigi: I'm sorry to Birdo, but I just happened to screw up on the last part. My suspect is Blooper. Errm…I'm never sure. Maybe it's Birdo? But I know that it's not me who's the Mole._

_

* * *

_

The players had no idea what lay in store for them, but after walking around Rogueport for just a few hours, all arrived before 3:00 P.M. in front of the door to Podley's Inn. The door opened and they stepped inside.

"We have a new challenge in store for you," McHallyboo told them. "Craps." Across the side of the bar was a casino craps table with one large die and five envelopes in it. The players went to gather around the table with curiosity.

"This is how you are going to play," explained the host. "You will one by one pick an envelope and read its contents. They will each have two dares on them; one main one and one slightly easier than the other. Depending on how you roll will determine your challenge. Understand?" The contestants half-nodded.

"Let's go through the list," the host suggested, as he went over to grab each of the envelopes and remove the papers. He lifted one of them up.

"Roll 1, 2, 3," he read, "Dye your hair green or orange." The players chuckled nervously.

"4, 5, 6," McHallyboo continued, "Shave your head bald." There were stares of disbelief and laughs. Peach seemed offended at the hearing off it.

_Peach: I knew from the start that this challenge would not be pretty. I prayed to not receive the head shave dare._

The host lifted the second paper.

"1, 2, 3," read the host, "Paint a nude portrait." Birdo and Toadette seemed to gasp at the idea.

"4, 5, 6, pose nude for a portrait." The laughs filled the small room, as they all seemed reluctant to continue on.

_Birdo:Oh…this game just sounded nasty. I was scared._

The host continued.

"1, 2, 3," said the host. "Put a temporary tattoo on your face." They could only guess the next part.

"4, 5, 6, receive a permanent 2x2 tattoo anywhere."

_Lakitu: I really hate tattoos. My uncle wanted to get one removed a year ago, and now his skin is all, like, scarred._

"1, 2, 3," said the host, reading from the last envelope, "Wear a ball and chain until tomorrow's execution." The players were uncertain with feelings and waited for part two.

"4, 5, 6, wear a stockade until tomorrow's execution." The host hastily scrambled the papers and inserted them back into the different colored envelopes.

"What's a stockade?" Luigi asked.

"Now," said the host, "I need you to agree on two people; one who needs a break from this game, and one who's the weakest both physically and mentally. Half a minute." There was little deciding.

"Birdo, I think you should have the break," Peach told her.

"Yup, Birdo," said Luigi. "You deserve it."

"And Luigi, you could be the weakest both physically and mentally," Blooper told him.

"I really don't want to be picked as a person," he admitted.

"How about Toadette?" suggested Lakitu.

"Of course, Toadette," Blooper realized. "You are the weak one."

"Thanks a lot," she replied sarcastically.

"Okay," the host said. "Who's the person who needs a break?" Birdo raised her hand.

"Birdo, please go upstairs," the host commanded, as she went and did so.

_Birdo: I was just really relieved that they chose me to take the break. I guess they saw me as the most trustworthy person, I don't know._

"Weakest both physically and mentally?" Toadette raised her hand.

_Toadette: I was kind of insulted when they chose me as the weakest. I guess I am the weakest mentally, but I hate it when people bring the fact up. _

"I want all of you to exit this bar," McHallyboo ordered, "And enter back one by one in any order. Toadette, as chosen as the weakest, you must be the last one in the order. At least three of the five of you must do your dare in order to win the 20,000 coins. Understood?" They all nodded.

"Let us begin our Craps Challenge."

* * *

The first player to enter was Peach. Wanting to be the one with all the choices to start with, she chose to be the first one to play. 

"Welcome to the Craps game!" announced McHallyboo. Peach smiled and went over to the edge of the table.

"Pick an envelope, any envelope," he told her. There were four envelopes on the counter colored red, white, black, and purple.

"I'll go with purple," Peach decided. The host handed it to her, and she slowly opened it. She dreaded to receive the challenges involving hair.

_ROLL 1, 2, 3_

_Paint a nude portrait._

_ROLL 4, 5, 6_

_Pose nude for a portrait._

"That is sick!" Peach exclaimed. "Like, whoever made this game must have been a real pervert." McHallyboo laughed, as Peach looked disgustingly at the paper.

"It's tough luck," he commented. "Now, which dare are you trying to aim for?" Peach looked at him.

"I'd rather paint someone else than me being the one to be painted," she said. She tossed the die in the air as it landed on the table.

**6**

"Pose nude for a portrait, I'm afraid," McHallyboo told her. Her mouth was agape, much in shock.

"Uh, no," she said. "I don't want to do that."

"Remember, only three out of the five of you must do their dares to win." A crew member entered and brought Peach out into a van, where they headed off to an Art studio. At that location she would decide whether she would do her challenge or not.

"I'd be rather disappointed if she refused," McHallyboo said to the camera.

* * *

"Welcome to the Craps Challenge!" Lakitu entered the bar and went over to the table. He saw the three remaining envelopes. 

"Give me the black one," Lakitu said. He was given it, and he opened the envelope.

_ROLL 1, 2, 3_

_Put a temporary tattoo on your face._

_ROLL 4, 5, 6_

_Receive a permanent 2x2 tattoo anywhere._

"Oh, crap," he said. It was the envelope he had been hoping to not receive.

"_Craps_," the host corrected. "Here's the die." Lakitu reluctantly grabbed it from him.

"So which one are you aiming for, Lakitu?"

"I don't want any of them," he said. "But the first one seems a lot easier." He threw the die in the air as it landed on the table.

**3**

"Put a temporary tattoo in your face, it is," said the host. "You are lucky."

"I'm…still not sure if I want to do that," admitted Lakitu. "I'll have to think about it."

"It _is _temporary," the host reassured. "But you must decide before you arrive at the Tattoo station. Remember, only three out of the five of you must do their dares to win. Good bye." A crew member brought him out to another van.

"I love temporary tattoos," the host said to himself. "But on your face? Ha."

* * *

"I'll choose the red envelope," Blooper decided. The host handed it over to him and he slowly opened the paper. 

_ROLL 1, 2, 3_

_Wear a ball and chain until tomorrow's execution._

_ROLL 4, 5, 6_

_Wear a stockade until tomorrow's execution._

"Hey, not bad," Blooper said. "These options are better than the others, I guess."

"See your fate," the host said to Blooper, giving him the large die. Blooper rolled it across the table.

**4**

"Wear a stockade until tomorrow night," said the host. "You'll be okay with that?"

"Tell me again, what's a stockade?" Blooper asked him.

"You don't know what a stockade is and you said that you would be fine with it?"

"Well," said Blooper, "I was thinking I would get the ball and chain, and I knew what a ball and chain was." McHallyboo grinned as a crew member entered. He brought Blooper to the van as they headed of to the Antique store.

"I enjoy seeing people getting tortured," the host said out loud. "Stockades are no different."

* * *

"Only one choice left?" Luigi said in surprise. The host nodded. 

"Well, open it and see your fate," he said. Luigi grabbed the white envelope and saw the paper.

_ROLL 1, 2, 3_

_Dye your hair green or orange._

_ROLL 4, 5, 6_

_Shave your head bald._

"There has to be another envelope a somewhere," Luigi said confidently, looking behind the bar counter. The host laughed.

"I'm sorry Luigi," he said. "So which one are you aiming for?"

"The green dye might be a nice touch," he said. He bounced the die in his hands a few times before rolling.

**6**

"Ayaya!" he exclaimed.

"Shave your head bald," the host told him. "You will be taken to the barber shop immediately, where you will decide." He was brought out to the fourth van.

"I really wanted to see Luigi with green hair," he told a crew member sadly. "An ultra mean, green, fighting machine."

* * *

Toadette's situation was different. Once she entered as the last person there was a multi-colored envelope on the craps table. She looked in curiosity. 

"Hello, o' weak one," the host said to her. Toadette rolled her eyes.

"Your peers had agreed on you being the weakest both mentally and physically," he continued. "But now is your chance to prove them wrong." Toadette smiled, and then she opened the red-white-purple-black envelope to read its contents.

_ROLL 1, 2, 3_

_Dye your hair green or orange, paint a nude portrait, put a temporary tattoo on your face, and wear a ball and chain until tomorrow's execution_

_ROLL 4, 5, 6_

_Shave your head bald, pose nude for a portrait, receive a permanent 2x2 tattoo anywhere, and wear a stockade until tomorrow's execution_

"Oh my gosh," Toadette said, stunned at the paper. She laughed and stared.

"If you complete your multiple dare choice, not only will you prove yourself to be stronger than they think you are, but you will also win a free exemption." Toadette nodded slowly.

"So I either get the hard ones or the easy ones?" she asked him. He nodded and handed her the die. Toadette closed her eyes, grabbed the die steadily, and flopped it down onto the table.

**1**

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes!"

"You must dye your hair either orange or green," the host told Toadette, "Paint a nude portrait of someone, receive a 2x2 temporary tattoo on your face, and wear a ball and chain until tomorrow night. Any concerns?"

"Maybe, I guess," she said. "With the ball and chain, because then I might feel uncomfortable And the nude picture."

"Well, off you go to four places," the host said. "Remember, an exemption is at offer." Toadette was brought out to a van and she headed off to the barber shop.

"If she does all that," the host said to the camera, "Then I'm definitely out of challenge ideas."

_Toadette: What was I thinking? Was I really going to dye my hair? Was I really willing to paint a portrait of a nude person? I had to do four dares instead of just one and receive the royal trumpet, and then there's that exemption in front of my eyes that's tempting me. Please help me, somebody._

* * *

"So Birdo, happy you're excused?" the host asked her. They were both sitting at a table in the upstairs Inn of the bar. 

"I'm thankful," she admitted. "I thought the challenge sounded pretty appalling." The host then took out a paper and a pen and put them in front of Birdo.

"Look at the sheet," he told her. "I want you to complete this in the next ten minutes." He left through the back door immediately as Birdo went to fill it out.

* * *

Peach entered the art studio of Rogueport, where a goomba with a distinguishable moustache was in a room full of hanging portraits. 

"Ah, what enjoyment it must be to receive a portrait," he told Peach as they sat down. "Zee feeling to know that you are being painted by the most infamous artist must be so overvelming. I very much apologize for my arrogant words. I am trewaing to be zee most modest person whenever I can be."

"Uh, thank you," Peach said. "But with me having no clothes…"

"Tis not a worry," he replied. "You cannot bring up anything that is more stunning than true nature itself. It iz almost impossible!" Peach was reassured just the tiniest bit.

"Hmmph," she said. "I really don't want to betray the team. But this just doesn't seem right."

_Peach: My main concern, to be honest, was that the painter was going to be some perverted freak. But the guy _did _seem to be a bit trustful because he was so art-obsessed. Why did I have to pick the purple envelope? Birdo should have done this instead. She goes naked all the time. _

* * *

Lakitu arrived at the tattoo store for his dare. The Rogueport Tattooing Station was a popular location for its people. 

"You came here for a temporary tattoo on your face, huh?" the punk-styled Yoshi said to him. He searched his shelves for the glue gun.

"If I decide to," Lakitu reminded.

"Come on, dog," he told Lakitu. "It's a temporary. T-E-M-P-E-R-E-R-Y. Or however you spell it."

"I have like a…phobia of tattoos," said Lakitu. "Of any kind. I don't know if I should help the team or not. How long does a temporary tattoo last?"

"Two to three days only, about?" the tattoo artist replied. Lakitu's face dropped even more.

"I can't force you anything, yo," the Yoshi said. "So I'll give you ten minutes max to decide."

_Lakitu: I always disliked tattoos and temporary tattoos were the same. But I was also thinking about how stupid I would look if I were to have a design on my face. I really didn't want to go through with my task especially after I saw the hot glue gun in his hand. I'm just not sure._

_

* * *

_

Blooper entered the antique store, where a little old boo lady was sitting on a rocking chair. She smiled warmly and brought him to the back of the shop.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, lifting a device from behind a cluster of items. It resembled a large block of wood with three round holes in it; the circle in the middle was larger than the others and was the appropriate size for a neck.

"I have to wear that?" Blooper asked unwillingly. The boo lady nodded, and Blooper laughed nervously.

"This is a stockade," she told him, "And it was used as a punishment device in the eighteen century. Public humiliation was supposedly induced as the prisoner would have his two hands and head in the three holes. When the stockade was tightened to a stand so that they couldn't move, that's when the torture would begin. Usually the audience would just throw tomatoes and flour for a day. On some occasions stones were allowed, and the prisoner would remain in place for a couple of days, usually designed to bring up starvation." Blooper shuddered.

"Is it comfortable?" asked Blooper.

"Oh, heavens no," she said smiling. "You won't really be at ease, so it's up to you."

"I think it might be okay," Blooper considered.

_Blooper: The ball and chain sounded much easier than this. The back story of the stockade didn't help at all. I mean, at least I would be able to walk around with the thing on my neck and hands. I don't like this…in other words, who would?_

_

* * *

_

Luigi was sitting at the counter of the local barber shop. A young female toad was busy sweeping the excessive amount of hair on the floor.

"A bald shave," she said, looking up. "Oh my gosh! What style."

"Uh, I didn't a confirm it…yet," Luigi told her. He was completely unsure about his feelings for his dare.

"Well, I think you should go with it," the toad said to him. "I think you'll look sooooo hot with a bald head." Luigi blushed.

"Thanks?"

"And you have a hat too," the toad reminded him. "So if you hate it, just cover it. Oh, what's that? I see." She seemed to be talking to herself.

"What is it?" Luigi asked.

"You don't have to be completely bald," she said. "You can have a really close shave. A shaved head is a better style. Like, wouldn't that be just spiffy?"

"Yup, spiffy," replied Luigi.

"And, you know, I can't force you," she added, picking up a bottle of hair dye labeled 'Royal Trumpet'. Luigi groaned, wishing he had been chosen to perform the other dare instead.

"So take as much time to decide."

_Luigi: Is this a joke? This challenge is forcing me to shave my a head. I don't want to have my head shaved. I like how my head looks right now. Why couldn't I dye it? I wish I didn't roll that six. Oh…I hate this game. Ayayayai. Daisy will hate me if I do this._

* * *

Birdo looked at her sheet: 

**The Craps Challenge Speculation**

**1. Peach was dared to pose nude for a portrait painting. Do you think she did it? Yes/No (Circle one)**

**2. Lakitu was dared to put a temporary tattoo on his face. Do you think he did it? ****Yes/No (Circle one)**

**3. Blooper was dared to wear a stockade until tomorrow night. Do you think he did it? ****Yes/No (Circle one)**

**4. Luigi was dared to have his head shaved. Do you think he did it? ****Yes/No (Circle one)**

**5. Toadette was dared to dye her hair orange, paint a nude portrait, have a temporary tattoo put on her face, and wear a ball and chain until tomorrow night, all for an exemption. Do you think she did it? ****Yes/No (Circle one)**

* * *

"Oh, my god," Peach sighed, looking around the art studio. "Just, oh, my god." The goomba waited good-naturedly in front of his drawing board. 

"No," she concluded. "I don't want to take off my clothes. Sorry though, but I'm not really a model." The goomba frowned.

* * *

"I'm all ready to start," said the Yoshi, holding the hot glue gun in his hand. Lakitu winced and looked around the room. Tattoos, tattoos everywhere… 

"I refuse," Lakitu said suddenly. "Thanks for your time, uh, homie." He left the chair, leaving the tattoo artist a bit surprised.

* * *

"I was never a fan of torture devices," Blooper told the old boo. "But just…put it on correctly." 

"I'm an expert, do not worry," she told him. She then unlocked the middle section of the stockade, and the entire board opened up horizontally. Blooper's head and front tentacles were rested in the semi-circles, and the other half closed down to make the circles complete and enclosed.

* * *

"I have no other choice, right?" Luigi asked the toad. 

"Well, like, I have no control over your choices," she told him. "So whatever. I'll be happy with whatever you say."

"I'll accept the dare," Luigi said, closing his eyes. The barber turned on the shaver as the buzzing sound flowed through the room.

* * *

On Birdo's sheet, she marked her choice speculations: 

**Peach: No**

**Lakitu: Yes**

**Blooper: Yes**

**Luigi: Yes**

**Toadette: No**

The host took the sheet from her and went downstairs. Everyone would meet at six o'clock that night.

* * *

**Will three out of five people do their dares for 20,000 coins? How good did Birdo do with her predictions? And what is the outcome of Toadette? All in the next chapter.**

**P.S. I will be going to Canada for the vacation, so yeah, expect no update for a few days.**

**I have a forum. It contains clues. Good luck!**


	13. All Aboard!

**Episode 4 (part 3)**

Tick…tock…tick…tock...

"Are they up there?" McHallyboo asked the crew member at the door. She nodded.

"Send them down." It was six o'clock at night, and the first person walked down the steps into Podley's Inn. Peach smiled and took a seat on a stool. Birdo and the host were sitting directly next to her.

"Peach," the host greeted, "I don't see the painting in your hands."

"I didn't want to do it," she told him. "I know it wasn't a good idea, but I refused the dare. Sorry." She looked at Birdo with a weak grin.

"Well, that means at least three of the four others would have to have completed their dares," the host reminded her. "Since you declined the offer for a _free _portrait."

"My privacy is more valuable to me than anything else," Peach said with a chuckle. "And the artist kind of scared me to tell the truth."

"Birdo, what did you predict for Peach?" Birdo showed Peach her paper: _NO_

"I just knew you didn't have the guts," Birdo told her teasingly.

**Dares: 0**

**Predictions: 1**

_Peach: I know that Birdo is suspecting me. I decided to fail my part in this challenge to throw her off a bit, but then again, I'm not exactly sure she's still suspecting me as the Mole._

"You need at least three correct predictions," said the host. "Okay, let us move on." The next player stepped down with a fast gait, and the three looked over at Lakitu. His face was just the same as it had been before the challenge.

"I didn't want to do it," Lakitu told them. "Sorry guys." Birdo and Peach both seemed panicked.

"You know, I have a phobia of tattoos of any kinds," he added, "But I really wanted to help the team."

"A second refusal," said the host. "Since Lakitu refused to put a temporary tattoo on his face, this leaves everything up to the three others. All three must have done their dares for this challenge to be won. Birdo?" Birdo flipped over to show him the paper: _YES_

"I was thinking you would do it," Birdo told Lakitu. He shrugged.

**Dares: 0**

**Predictions: 1**

_Lakitu: I had that brief moment in me where I was considering to do my dare, but I decided not to do it. I was really assuming we were going to lose the challenge now._

The next player trudged his way down the steps in a heavy manner, as the remaining players watched in hope. Not because he was tired or in a pissed mood, but because strapped around his head and two of his tentacles was a large wooden device. All four of them laughed as Blooper took a seat, and then broke into a small cheer.

"I see the stockade Blooper," McBallyhoo told him. Blooper hung his head.

"I feel tortured!" Blooper replied. "My neck is stiff."

"Well, a torture for you until tomorrow was definitely something you wanted to sacrifice for the team," said the host. "Birdo, let's see your paper." Birdo flipped her paper over: _YES_

"I felt that Blooper had the motivation," Birdo said.

"That is one dare completed," said the host. "Thanks to Blooper, only the remaining two must have done theirs. Birdo needs one more correct prediction to win her part."

**Dares: 1**

**Predictions: 2**

_Blooper: I really ate crow when I told the host how simple wearing a stockade would be. I am in a torture hell. If the others didn't do their dares, why should I have done mine?_

When the next player walked down the stairs, they all gasped and broke into laughter. Luigi slowly revealed himself, wearing his hat and an embarrassed smile that made the host feel the smallest of pity for him. There was no hair visible anywhere around the rim of his hat.

"Yah, Luigi!" Peach said in a cheerful voice.

"You actually did it," McHallyboo said. "That is another dare completed. You risked your hair to help your team Luigi. Whether that was a good choice or not…is up to you." The players laughed.

"So Luigi, do you mind taking your cap off?" Blooper asked him.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. The players laughed again and cheered for their closer success, and Birdo revealed what she had written: _YES_

"Umm, you actually thought that Luigi was going to shave his head?" Lakitu asked Birdo.

"I just knew it," Birdo said happily.

**Dares: 2**

**Predictions: 3**

_Luigi: I wanted that barber lady to stop! But I wanted the team to know I was a part of them, and I wanted to show them that I wasn't really a coward after a all._

"Well, Birdo," the host said to her. "You did your job. That is three correct predictions." They all seemed happy, yet none of them knew what the reward would be later on.

"Toadette!" The five players looked in amazement at their so-called weakest player, who was almost beyond recognizable. A rose design was visible on her cheek, her pigtails were colored a distinctive orange, and wrapped around her ankle was a chain, the ball at the end being carried in her arms.

"Wow," Luigi said in a whisper. Toadette went to sit besides him with a wide grin.

"Let's see now," began the host. "You had your hair dyed orange."

"I kinda liked it!" Toadette admitted, swinging her pigtails in the air. "Orange was a nice color."

"You got a temporary rose tattoo on your face…"

"I was kind of hesitant about it, really," Toadette told them. The others kept on staring at her.

"A ball and chain until tomorrow," said the host.

"That was the second worst," she told him. "I didn't like the idea of walking with this. Either be dragged or carry it in your hands. I hate the ball and chain."

"You have a painting in your hand of a nude model---"

"That was the sickest part!" she said in a disgusted tone, as the other players laughed. She unrolled the paper in her hand to reveal her masterpiece.

"My eyes," groaned Blooper. Luigi winced at the contents of Toadette's magnificent drawing.

"I feel so sorry for you," Peach said sadly. Lakitu laughed nervously.

"Ahem," McHallyboo whispered to a crew member. "Remind the producers to censor this part on broadcasts. Toadette wasn't as bad an artist like I thought she would be."

"I really didn't think you would do all that," Birdo admitted, turning her paper over to reveal her _NO._

"And you also got an exemption," the host added. "You're guaranteed to the next round." The others didn't feel envious at all as Toadette gratefully took a green card from McHallyboo.

"I really thought that an exemption was worth doing all that stuff," Toadette added.

**Dares: 3**

**Predictions: 3**

_Toadette: Not only did I win for the team in this challenge, but I also got an exemption. Dyeing my hair, putting some stupid drawing on my face, wearing a chain and heavy ball, and drawing a naked guy was all nothing compared to an exemption. I feel fresh and safe._

"You have won the Craps Challenge," the host said. "With three completed dares you have won twenty thousand coins for the team pot." The six players cheered.

**Team Pot**

**85,000c**

"For the speculating part of the Craps Challenge," said the host, "Birdo had gained the team an additional ten thousand coins. Well done." The players clapped for her.

"But she does have her other option," interrupted the host. "She can take home the ten thousand coins for herself if she chooses to." All eyes suddenly fell to Birdo.

"Well, I'll say," Peach said. "You already gave up ten thousand coins during the Jail challenge. Just keep the money."

"Keep it, Birdo," Lakitu told her. "There's too much money in the team pot. Eighty-five thousand coins is already a fortune." McHallyboo suddenly fished out a check from his pocket and placed it in front of Birdo, the words _Ten thousand only _written in fine ink illuminating the green paper. She picked it up and held it with uncertainty.

"I'm really grateful," Birdo said. She handed it back to the host, much to the dismay of the others.

"Birdo, like really," Toadette told her smiling. "It's not your goal to keep on helping the team."

**Team Pot**

**95,000c**

"We're almost at one-hundred a grand," realized Luigi. "Ah wow!"

"The Mole was the one being dragged through this crap challenge," the host told them. "Were Peach's and Lakitu's refusals to do their dares based on personal views, or were they failed attempts at losing the money?" Peach shook her head as Lakitu sat unchanged.

"Or maybe the Mole wanted to add a little spice into their game," the host considered. "After all, the Mole is a daring individual." He put the check back into his pocket.

"Or perhaps the Mole liked speculating and predicting," the host added. "And giving the team extra money into their pot. Cough Birdo cough." Birdo smiled modestly.

"You will all be sleeping in the upstairs rooms of the Inn," concluded the host. "Ahem, and one more thing. If either Blooper or Toadette ask for their devices to be taken off, then the team pot will lose the earned twenty-thousand coins. Nighty. You all have room mates by the way. Okay, nighty again." He quickly stood up from his stool and exited the bar.

* * *

_Luigi: My head! My poor head is a shaved. I look like a punk in a good way, and I also feel sorry for Blooper in the stockade. I shouldn't though because he a might be the Mole. I am still confused._

_Lakitu: I know it wasn't a good idea to refuse my dare, but I just have to say that I'm delighted we won the Craps Challenge. Birdo, you are generous. Toadette, you are still suspect Number 1 even though you did the most difficult choice._

_Birdo: Peach showed another attempt at sabotage in this game, and whether it was just her being the Mole or not, I think she would have refused the dare either way. Also, I think nobody is suspecting me for being the Mole. Oh well. I don't need ten thousand coins._

_Peach: I really thought Toadette was weak. That's why I formed an alliance with her, but now I'm mistaken. I will never pose nude by the way. And Lakitu seems like a suspect, yet...Luigi does too._

_Blooper: Okay, Luigi shaved his head but does that set him innocent? I'm also questioning Peach and Lakitu, because the Craps Challenge was a perfect game to attempt sabotage in._

_Toadette: I'm throwing this painting away, period. I found it odd how Lakitu would be so afraid to put a temporary tattoo on his face, because it was a really simple dare. Well, I'm staying for an extra episode and that makes me happy!_

_

* * *

_

At nine o'clock the next morning all six players were brought outside. The host was sitting down on a lawn chair located right at the bottom of the train station steps.

"Luigi looks rather nice today, don't you think?" the host said. "And Blooper, you look very sore and tired. Toadette, I see that you have scratched off your temporary tattoo last night. Not against the rules, fortunately." He handed each female a yellow envelope.

"A want you six to split into pairs of two, male and female," said the host. The pairs were so: Luigi and Birdo, Lakitu and Peach, Blooper and Toadette.

"Please board the train," the host ordered them. "I expect you to return here soon." A train arrived at the Rogueport Station a minute later as the six players walked into the open set of doors. The train then took off as they watched McHallyboo fade away into the distance, sitting carefree on the lawn chair.

* * *

"Pretty weird, huh?" Blooper commented. "I really wonder what our challenge is going to be." He saw down on a chair and shifted around uncomfortably in the stockade. 

"Let us see the envelopes," Luigi suggested, looking at Birdo's. But he stopped when he saw that written on the back of each envelope in large black letters was the message **Open and Read when the Beeping is heard.**

"What beeping?" Peach asked. "I'm confused."

"I'm guessing that this might be a patience sort of challenge," Birdo assumed. "We have to open it at the right time maybe."

"Does the game take place on this train?" Toadette asked out loud.

"Maybe the game has already started," considered Lakitu. They all pondered the idea.

* * *

A few minutes passed by. The conductor of the train shouted an order to them as the train made its first stop. 

"First stop," he shouted. "One pair of people must get off." The door opened, and Luigi stood directly in front of it.

"Go baldie," Lakitu told him. Luigi gave him a fierce look as Birdo followed him out. The doors closed.

Ten minutes later, the train made another stop. Blooper and Toadette got off from the train without any hesitation.

The train made a third stop ten minutes later. The last two people, Lakitu and Peach, exited the cabin as the train headed onwards.

* * *

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Lakitu asked Peach. "Do we have to wait for something?" 

"The envelope says to wait for a beeping," she told him. "Let's just---"

BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! Coming from inside the envelope was an earsplitting beeping sound that startled Peach. Lakitu grabbed it from her and ripped in open. A watch displaying 10:00 A.M. and a piece of paper was revealed inside.

"Another challenge," Lakitu said, as they both read carefully.

**Board the Train Challenge**

**Reward: 20,000 coins to the team pot**

**Mission: The train will be passing once again through your towns. All must be on board before it reaches its final location, Rogueport. If all six players meet me at 11:00 A.M. in Rogueport aboard the train, you will be rewarded 20,000c. In the libraries of your towns are two hidden train tickets each. If any player fails to find the ticket in time, you will not be able to board the train and the challenge would be lost.**

**10:10 A.M.- Train arrives at Town 3. Five minute break for gas fill up.**

**10:15 A.M.- Train leaves Town 3, two must be on board.**

**10:25 A.M.- Train arrives in Town 2. Five minute break for gas fill up.**

**10:30 A.M.- Train leaves Town 2, four must be on board.**

**10:40 A.M.- Train arrives in Town 1. Five minute break for gas fill up.**

**10:45 A.M.- Train leaves Town 1, six must be on board.**

**11:00 A.M.- All six passengers will meet with McHallyboo. If so, mission is complete.**

**Town 3 players do not have an advantage. They have a longer chain of clues to go through before the ticket could be found.**

* * *

Discovering that they only had fifteen minutes to find their two tickets, Peach and Lakitu immediately headed off to the library. They arrived at the location quickly. 

"Here, we are," Lakitu said. "Uh, now what?"

"There's a paper here," Peach noticed, looking behind the piece of paper with the instructions. "It's our first clue."

_The first volume of stories about this cuddly creature. A rabbit, piglet, and donkey are just a few of his friends. His homeland is a 10x10 large acre of wood._

"What…the…hell?"

* * *

Blooper and Toadette, who had thirty minutes to find their tickets, arrived at the library in eight minutes. 

"My hands are so tired," Toadette complained, dropping the ball onto the floor as they finally arrived. By chance, the two players in torture deviced were paired up together. They read their clue.

_A story of selfishness, hate, and courage. When the creature mocks you, you only need to kill one with one stone._

"Think," Blooper told Toadette, feeling the pain of the stockade sweeping into him, "Because I'm clueless."

"Kill one with one stone," read Toadette. "I really know that phrase from somewhere."

* * *

Luigi and Birdo had the hardest clues for the challenge with the fact that they had forty-five minutes to retrieve their tickets. They looked at their clue. 

_When readers want their own ways with stories, these series of books are just for them. Find the unlucky volume about a snowy mishap._

"Uh oh," Luigi said. "I feel lost. The answer is a book, right?"

"The answers are all in this room," Birdo told him. "We need to find the train tickets before 10:45, and we have a lot of time to do so." She and Luigi searched the books behind her.

* * *

"Hundred acre woods," Peach realized. "That's Winnie the Pooh! The first book is what we're looking for." 

"How are you so sure?" Lakitu asked her. He followed Peach to a kids section of the library as they both searched for the letter W. Lakitu spotted the entire collection of Winnie the Pooh books and grabbed the first one.

"We rock," said Peach, as they opened it to reveal a green slip of paper with the word TICKET. She frowned when she realized that the book did not contain the second ticket.

_CHOO CHOO!_ Lakitu and Peach stopped in alarm at the sound of the approaching train from across the street. Ten minutes had already passed by, and they only had five minutes remianing until it left.

"The clue." Slipped behind the last page of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne was another piece of paper with two perplexing sentences.

_A tale of two dogs. They set foot in the place where the crimson plants cultivate._

"I'm don't know any dog stories," Peach said to Lakitu. Out the window she looked to see the train, parked at the station. The conductor exited the vehicle to refill its gas.

"The train is taking a five minute break," she said.

"Crimson means red," Lakitu told her, "And cultivate means to grow plants."

"A dog plant book?" Peach wondered. "We don't have much time."

"I remember reading a book," said Lakitu, "That had a title about red plants growing."

"The book!" Peach said suddenly. "It's like…red plants grow. It's about dogs, and I remember reading it a long time ago." Lakitu stopped in his tracks as he spotted a book, placed in the shelf directly above the Winnie the Pooh series. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls was positioned directly in front of his eyes.

"This is it!" he exclaimed, opening it. A slip of paper with the word TICKET on it fell out, and Peach grabbed it happily. Without hesitation they both ran towards the train station as fast as their feet could bring them. The door opened automatically and they sat down in relief in the air-conditioned compartment.

Just three minutes later the conductor arrived at the train station. Not bothering to check if Lakitu and Peach were aboard he went directly back into the front cabin. Two passengers had made it.

"All aboard!" he shouted.

_CHOO CHOO!_

* * *

**Not the best time to cut the chapter. But anyway, the group had made a great addition to their pot with the Craps challenge and the Mole is getting angrier. But just how many clues are pointing to the Mole? And is the Mole really getting angrier? The results of the train challenge and the fourth execution comes next...**


	14. Books Have Everything

**Okay. I am just going to ignore that there was ever an entire Summer gap of non-updates to this story. Two months and twenty days? Huh? What? When? **

**The train challenge continues, and this time, things get just a little hectic.  
**

* * *

**Episode 4 (part 4)**

Blooper and Toadette walked around with puzzlement around the library. Hundreds and hundreds of novels piled the shelves, but only a single one held the answer to their game.

_A story of selfishness, hate, and courage. When the creature mocks you, you only need to kill one with one stone._

"Obviously a book," Toadette said, "And it has a theme that probably relates to this clue. It's about selfishness, hate, and courage."

"I would have never guessed," Blooper told her sarcastically, sitting down on a stool on the carpet floor. "Oh, how smart you are. Come on, act smarter." He laughed.

* * *

"There's too many a books!" Luigi realized. "My brain, my brain." The libary of Town 1 looked no different than any of the others. All the libraries each had one floor and was barely filled with any customers, due to the fact that the library was kept off-limits by the producers of _The Mole_.

"It's just that we have the hardest clues to follow," Birdo reminded him. "The train arrives in our town at 10:45. We have over forty minutes left." She glanced over at the silver clock behind her.

"And if we miss it, the stop, we will lose the challenge," said Luigi. "I know. We can just hop onto the train. McHallyboo never said we needed the tickets, huh?" Birdo shook her head.

_When readers want their own ways with stories, these series of books are just for them. Find the unlucky volume of a snowy mishap._

"If we want our way with stories," Birdo repeated, "then we find a book where a story doesn't really go in order. Yes, I got it."

"Got what?" Luigi looked at her with confusion.

"It's the Choose Your Own Adventure books."

* * *

"Let's ask the librarian to help us," Toadette said, going up a plump lady in a dress. She immediately looked at Toadette.

"Scuse'ems," the librarian said. "You part of the Mole?"

"I'm a player on the show," Toadette told her.

"Can't help you at all, hun," she replied. "I got them strict orders from McHallyboo."

"This challenge is so hard," Blooper said in exhaustion. "I'm so tired." Exhausted, he leaned back on his stool so far until the wooden block around his neck touched the ground.

_Blooper: I want to take my stockade off. But then again, I would just add suspicion to myself and I don't want that. I don't feel like helping at all._

"One kill with one stone," Toadette repeated to herself. "If only I could remember where I've heard that before."

* * *

"It's a ten fifteen," Luigi said. "Oh no!" Luigi, one of the weakest players of the game so far, had been showing off a length of his worry in this specific challenge.

"Hopefully Peach and Lakitu have boarded the train," Birdo hoped.

"What if they missed it?" Luigi asked her. "Look at it like a this. We can be all laid-back and free and not have to do anything. We don't have to keep searching and straining our brains into pasta. So let us relax, no?"

"I like puzzles," Birdo said. "Now help me find the section of Choose Your Own Adventure books." Luigi rolled his eyes and followed her as Birdo asked the lady.

"Scuse'ems," the librarian said. "You part of the Mole?"

* * *

_CHOO CHOO_

It was 10:20 A.M. by the time Birdo and Luigi found the Choose Your Own Adventure stories. At that time Toadette and Blooper were contemplating their clue. Lakitu and Peach had finished their part of the challenge early and were relaxing on the Excess Express locomotive. Elevator music poured out from sections of the ceiling.

"Whoo," Peach said, looking at the passing scenery in the background. "I wish Daisy hadn't of been executed in the last execution."

"I couldn't care less of who still exists and who doesn't," Lakitu told her. "Truthfully. I only care about myself. And hey! I'm safe for this episode!"

"Words coming out from a person who has no worry for this episode," Peach said to him. "I want an exemption just for once."

Peach:_ I really hope I don't get executed for this episode. I think I know who the Mole is but I just need to be more confident on choosing him or her. This game has just been starting for me and everyone else.  
_

Lakitu:_ Well, I guess ten thousand coins was worth an exemption. Do you know how much money is in the team pot right now? It's mad high! I'm really looking forward to winning this Train challenge, yet I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or bad thing._

* * *

"Hey Birdo, I found the books," Luigi told her. "Look, all the Choose your Adventurebooks." She hurried over to where he was and saw the entire series, reaching its way across the whole length of the shelf.

_Find the unlucky volume of a snowy mishap. _

"Search for one of the books about snow," Birdo told him. "Snowstorms, ice, avalanches, something with snow or cold."

* * *

"To kill two birds," Toadette remembered, looking at the clue, "You only need one stone."

"Really?" Blooper questioned.

"It's an idiom," she told him. "Something about the bird when it makes fun of you."

"Big Bird is funny," thought Blooper, still lying backwards on the small stool and paying no attention. "Try a sesame street book." It was 10:23 A.M, two minutes until the train would stop in their town.

"No, you are so wrong."

"Try to kill a bird," Blooper said, suddenly getting his head up to look at her. "Does that help?"

"Wow, what you just said really helped," said Toadette in realization. "To Kill a Mocking Bird! That's the correct title! You probably knew the answer the entire time." She got up from her seat as Blooper followed her across the rows of shelves.

"To Keen for You," Toadette read, looking at the various books in her final spot. "To Kiara My Love. I got the book! To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee." Blooper ran over to her and saw a slip of paper fall out as she opened the book, the word TICKET gleaming straight out as if it trying to talk to them and congratulate them. Blooper's dull eyes suddenly became large with excitement.

"Lets go!" he said. "We got it!" With the ticket in his hand he skipped towards the exit of the shop.

"What are you doing?" Toadette said in confusion.

"Were done!" Blooper told her. "We did it!" She still didn't follow him.

"We only have one ticket," Toadette pointed out. "I still need one. And we're running _so_ out of time it isn't even funny."

"We only _need _one ticket!" Blooper reminded her. "Let's go now, before we miss the train!" He took another step closer to the exit, but then frowned when Toadette still remained unmoved.

"The host said that we had to find a ticket," said Blooper, "Not two."

"Then what does this mean?" Toadette held another piece of paper in her hand that she had found taped to the back of the book, and Blooper walked slowly back to her.

"Oh, I guess I'm wrong," he said sheepishly. "I thought we were finished already." Toadette sighed and looked at the clue.

_Poetry at best by a pessimist. A symbol of death soars ahead._

"That's easy," Blooper told her. "I know it's Edgar Allen Poe." Toadette nodded and looked outside the window, only to drop her mouth open in disbelief. In the distance, behind the small houses of Town 2, a train had made it to the station.

_CHOO CHOO! _bellowed the vehicle as the driver stepped off from the vehicle. Blooper immediately went over to the Poetry section of the library and searched for the pessimist's name. He was also surprised.

"Damn, the train is here already?" Blooper realized. "This really means that we have five minutes now." Far away in the carriage of the train Toadette could see the faint figures of Lakitu and Peach. They had made it on.

"I got the second ticket!" Blooper shouted with victory, opening a book by Edgar Allen Poe called The Raven. Knowing that two tickets was their finish, he and Toadette headed out of the library and towards the station. Closer and closer they ran, until Peach was the first to notice the running duo approaching them.

"Oh, I see them!" she exclaimed. Lakitu turned around.

"Stop joking," he told her. He shifted his eyes out the window and eyed the two players approaching towards them, as he stood up in surprise and pressed his face against the glass window. The problem was, both partners were victims of torture tools from the previous day. Toadette looked fatigued when she entered the car, her face red and her hands holding the metal ball. Blooper entered seconds later, looking dead as he collapsed onto the cushioned seats with the stockade around his neck.

"Ooohhh, yeah!" said Toadette in a relieved tone. "Air conditioned heaven." Blooper seemed asleep from exhaustion, and Peach shook him playfully.

"You guys made it!" Peach told them. "How was your part of the game? I heard it was difficult."

"Now more than half our worries are gone," Lakitu told them. "Two more people are needed."

"It wasn't too hard," Blooper told them. "Was it for you?" Peach and Lakitu shook heir heads.

_Toadette: When Blooper was trying to bring me to the station with only one ticket, I was confused. But my main concern is whether Luigi and Birdo would make it to the train or lose the money for us.  
_

_Blooper: Peach seems really tense yesterday and today. I'm still really looking at the two humans left: Peach and Luigi. It's them who are suspicious._

* * *

Birdo and Luigi were still looking at the book titles of the Choose Your Own Adventure series. As it approached 10:30, Luigi got more suspicions of his partner.

_Luigi: Hmm, I don't know, but Birdo wants us to look for a book about snow. She is searching through books like Invader From Within and the Fire Dragons. Is she doing this on purpose, or is she just forgetful?_

"Any luck?" Luigi asked her. Birdo shook her head and glanced again at the clock on the wall.

"I can't find any ticket anywhere. Oh dear."

"We're looking for snow," reminded Luigi. Birdo's eyes suddenly lit up as she went out to grab a book, number thirteen. It's title was The Abominable Snowman, and as she flipped it open the ticket immediately fell out to the floor.

"I should have known," she said. "Thirteen. An unlucky volume." Luigi grabbed the ticket excitedly and spotted another piece of paper right besides it.

"Haha!" he said. "Clue two! Clue two!" He handed it to Birdo.

**_TOOREN TEETHOWZ ENLEEG SUNDERTH ASEE_**

"Noo!" shouted Luigi. "I give up!" He removed his cap to reveal his neatly-shaved haircut from yesterday's challenge. This morning, he had asked the producers and McHallyboo if he was allowed to go out and buy a wig from a local store, but they refused to let him leave.

"Please," begged Birdo. "We're in a library." She brought Luigi to a table and sat down.

"Think of something," Birdo told him. "We have fifteen minutes and that's lot of time. See any words?" Luigi shook his head and looked away.

_Birdo: Sometimes I think that Luigi could be the Mole. But I think that's impossible, because he doesn't seem a person who could handle all the stress and undercover stuff for the role.  
_

"I see the word 'under'," Luigi pointed out. "Is that helpful?"

"Hmm, maybe this is an anagrammed sentence," thought Birdo. She went to grab for a pen and paper.

* * *

"The Mole," Lakitu told the other three aboard the train, "Is probably trying to act calm and fit in with the others. The Mole is also attempting hidden ways of sabotage. And that person who fits both descriptions is none other than Toadette!" Peach and Toadette gasped at the same time.

"Hey, I suppose Lakitu could be right," Blooper realized. "I never really looked at Toadette. Maybe she could be the Mole after all. In fact, I'll suspect her a lot from now on!"

"Keep looking, scaredy cats," Toadette said, grinning. "And you can suspect me all you want and be the Mole's next victim on the quiz." Blooper looked out the window.

Toadette: _I have a confession to make: I think this game is going pretty well. If people think that I'm the Mole, this leaves more chances for me to survive. It's all about survival here and from now on.  
_

"Peach, Birdo, and I will make it to the end." Peach then stuck her hand out for a high-five, but when Toadette went to slap her hand back, Peach withdrew her hand and used it to straighten out the ruffles in her hair. Lakitu got the joke gesture and laughed, leaving Blooper and Toadette utterly confused. Then Toadette laughed suddenly, creating a ripple of laughter among the four.

"I love this game," Blooper said. Peach stared at him in amusement.

"You know, maybe Birdo could be the Mole," Toadette started. She was then given three simultaneous stares of disbelief.

"My unexisting feet she is," Lakitu replied.

* * *

**_TOOREN TEETHOWZ ENLEEG SUNDERTH ASEE_**

Back in Town 1, Birdo and Luigi attempted to solve the hardest book title riddle of the entire challenge. With seven minutes passed only minute success had actually been achieved.

"What do you have so far?" Luigi asked his partner. Birdo showed him her paper of words:

_Wheeze Tone No Tort Needle Rugs Ate She_

"Those are the letters made out of the phrase," she told him. "All those words are an anagram for the jumble of letters." Luigi's eyes widened with disbelief.

"Wow, that was fast," he said. "But I don't a think the book is about a girl eating rugs. And what does 'tort' mean?" He stared at the clue even more, trying to see if he could notice anything else. He did.

"Hey," he said, pointing to the last letter jumbles. "Look what it says towards the end. 'Underthasee'. It sounds like 'under the seat'."

"So we have to look under the seat?" Birdo wondered. She shrugged and looked under her seat, then looked under Luigi's seat. Nothing was there.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of chairs in this library," Birdo reminded him. "No, I don't think we have to look under a seat. That would be impossible" Birdo contemplated the clue even more, and Luigi did too.

"Okay," he said, "How about 'toorenteethowzenleeg'? It sounds like, umm, 'Tour in the town and leave'." For some reason, Birdo laughed and shook her head.

But being too focused on the puzzle, neither of the two players had had checked the clock recently to realize how close the train was to reaching its penultimate destination. The game was coming closer to the end, whether they would win or not.

"Oh no," Birdo suddenly said, looking at the silver clock behind her. "It's 10:38 already." Luigi stood up and looked out the window nervously. Birdo went back to the clue right away, but was interrupted by a dreadful sound that echoed the outside air.

_CHOO CHOO!_

"What?" she stammered. "Huh? Already? What?" She was caught completely off guard. Luigi let out a groan when the train pulled its way into view, stopping in front of the small station of Town 1.

"The clock must have been a slow," Luigi realized. "Oh...a my god!" He was panicking heavily, as Birdo took her eyes off from the window and faced back to the piece of paper:

"This is impossible," Luigi said with sigh. "Let's give up."

"Are you crazy?" Birdo told him. "We don't just give up in the middle of the challenge. We have five minutes to do this."

"Let me go," Luigi said suddenly. "Let me go to the train."

"No," she said, "I need you here."

"I can't help you at all! What use can I do here?" he told her. "I'll ask everyone on the train if they know this riddle, then I'll come back here if someone figures it out." Luigi was already heading to the exit of the library.

"Go quickly," Birdo said. Luigi darted off in an instant, and Birdo buried her head in her arms. The game depended on her.

* * *

The train was exactly on schedule, and the conductor was ready to get off for his five minute break of fuel.

"The penultimate destination: Town 1," Lakitu announced to the others, thought it was completely unnecessary. The town had a fountain that went directly down the line in the distance, and buildings galore. But overall, all three towns the train had stopped in so far looked exactly the same, all except for the upcoming Rogueport.

"I don't think it's a good sign that they're not here," said Peach. The platform was completely empty, and the conductor stepped off the train. Blooper groaned as the conductor then went down the steps of the station and entered into the town.

"He left!" Peach told them. "The conductor left for gas!"

"Is that the library?" Toadette wondered, looking out behind the fountain to see a dome-shaped structure.

"They better be coming," said Blooper. "If they lose the game for us, I'll be so angry."

"I'll just blame them and make them feel bad," Lakitu told the others. Peach glared at him.

"I think they'll make it," said Toadette optimistically. "If two teams have made it so far...oh my gosh, is that Luigi?" They all looked outside; Luigi was indeed running, passing besides the fountain and heading towards them. They waited without a word but with anxious faces as Luigi disappeared from their sight, only to arrive at the top of the long stair of steps. They noticed two things wrong with Luigi, however.

"Luigi!" yelled Lakitu, opening the window of the train so his face was exposed. "You have the tickets, right? All right!"

"Where the hell's Birdo?" Blooper said.

"I'll explain a later!" Luigi said back. He ran up to the window, making it easy for any of the players on board to grab his hat. Peach did exactly that, exposing Luigi's fashionable hair.

"If you don't board, you'll suffer the humiliation," she teased.

"Wait, where's Birdo?" Toadette asked him.

"She's still in the library-"

"What?"

"She needs help with a riddle," Luigi said, his feet dancing nervously around. "Uh...oh crap. Oh crap! I'm such an idiot." A problem had been encountered: Luigi had completely forgotten to remember the riddle. A minute of conversing had taken place right then, mostly filled with anger and confusion.

"Idiot!" Blooper shouted. "Birdo's going to die by herself! Why did you forget the riddle?"

"Shut up," said Toadette, then went to face Luigi. Only one face at a time could fit through the window, so they took turns talking to him.

"See that man?" Toadette said, pointing to the conductor who had already walked far enough to reach the fountain in the distance. "If he comes back with the gas fuel, and Birdo doesn't come with the two tickets, we're going to lose the challenge. Let's just hope that Birdo is smart enough to know where that last ticket is."

"I have to be honest, really," Peach said, "But I don't think she'll quite make it. She has three minutes." Blooper sighed, sitting down heavily with the torture device still strapped around him. Lakitu sat down on the cushioned seat, not caring anymore on whether they would win the 20,000 coins or not.

Lakitu: _I think our team isn't playing so well, obviously. So far, we have 95,00 coins in our team pot, and I'd be happy to hell if I were to get that much! Are you kidding me?_

Blooper: _How could you be such an ass and come to the train station, all to deliver a riddle, and forget to remember it? I mean, I think Luigi is acting really stupid this morning._

Luigi: _I want the team to relax. Come on, I'm a probably the weakest player in this game right now._

* * *

Back at the library, Birdo had immediately turned on her thinking skills and headed straight for the answer. It was 10:42.

Birdo: _It all seemed supernatural at that instant. I remembered reading this book a long time ago that had a riddle, and there was this little hint that said, "Sometimes the answers are so simple and right in front of you". I tried doing that._

**___TOOREN TEETHOWZ ENLEEG SUNDERTH ASEE_**

"Tooren tee," she repeated, her mind focusing with all her strength. "Toorenty. Twenty...oh my gosh." She gasped, her hand going up to her mouth.

"Twenty thowzend...twenty thousand..." Birdo heart was thumping with excitement as the read the following of the riddle to herself. She had never felt so victorious in her life ever before until this very moment.

"The best of writer Jules Verne," she whispered, standing up from her chair to find the famous novel. The clock struck 10: 43.

* * *

10: 44.

"One minute," Blooper said. "One fricken' minute." Lakitu looked up.

"We have ninety five grand in the team pot, right?"

"Exactly," confirmed Toadette.

**Team Pot**

**_95,000c_**

"My fingers are trembling like never before!" Peach said. "Will Birdo make it and save the challenge?" Luigi stayed silent, leaning along the side of the train. He jumped up and pointed in front of him in an instant.

"BIRDO!" he screamed. "BIRDO!"

"- you!" shouted Lakitu. "You scared the living hell out of me!"

"Yes!" Toadette shouted in delight. "It's her! I knew she was smart!"

"She owned your butt!" Peach told Luigi in excitement. Then, all five players gasped. From one of the buildings with a triangular-shaped roof nearest to the train station platform, a figure emerged from the glass doors. It was like the devil was taking his role in the challenge as the train conductor came into view.

"Shiiiiiiiit," Blooper moaned. The tables were turning

"Birdo!" cried Toadette, waving her hand out the window. "Run!"

"Yeah!" said Peach. "Run, Birdo! Run, Birdo, run!"

"Stop referencing _Forrest Gump _on public television!" Lakitu snapped. It was true, but nobody was listening to him. All eyes were focused on the running Birdo, who was feet behind where the conductor was currently walking.

"Come one, Birdo!" Luigi shouted. "You can be the hero!"

"Heroine!" corrected Lakitu. All eyes were on the two characters rushing towards their destination.

"Just make it!"

"Run, Birdo, run!"

Both female players were going along with the chant as Birdo came closer into the view. She knew everything; as soon as she saw the man dressed in train-managing attire, Birdo knew her time was running out. She needed to run.

"But who exactly reached the doors of the train first? Could the Board the Train challenge have been a failure, with worked up joy over a reward-less prize? Or did Birdo somehow manage to run up the stairs and beat the conductor to his own game? Ha! That's for you to think about. I, McHallyboo, am still waiting in Rogueport for the chilling results. By the way have you ever tried a Shroom Steak before? It's a fungi R.L. heaven meal."

* * *

**Including the execution in this chapter would have been too much. Err, I hoped you enjoyed! So what is the outcome of the Train challenge? And who really is the Mole?**

**Watch for the hidden clues throughout! Check my profile for more stuff.**

**Polls are in beta. Once they're done, they would be perfect, hahaha.  
**


	15. Tearful Departure

**Someone meets their end in the fourth execution. Only five will remain!**

* * *

**Episode 4 (part 5)**

Anyone even near the train tracks would have heard the increasing rumbles of the train wheels as it approached to stop. McHallyboo lowered his Shroom Steak sandwich down onto his table and stood up, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. The first cart of the locomotive opened. For a moment, nobody seemed to be on board at all.

Peach and Lakitu of Town 3 stepped out. Their faces looked ambiguous, looking slightly pleased but at the same time had their eyebrows arched in an unusual way.

Toadette and Blooper stepped out after them. Their bodies slumped, showing that their mood was filled with exhaustion from the challenge just played minutes ago.

But had Luigi and Birdo made it on?

"Welcome to the corrupt world of bandits and crime," McHallyboo happily introduced to the four players. "Have all of you made it here on time?" Nobody answered.

"Right on schedule," said a voice from upon the platform. The two last players made their way to meet the others, feeling relaxed and refreshed.

"All right guys, we really did it!" Lakitu told the group. Everyone was, without a doubt, happy.

"All thanks to Birdo's spiffy intelligence," Peach said, giving Birdo a grateful look. Birdo gave back a look of modesty.

"She helped, she helped," Blooper agreed, "but the real hero here was me. Who found the books before anyone could contemplate the clues?"

"Fine," admitted Toadette. "I guess you were helpful. But you weren't the hero at all. Birdo was." McHallyboo cleared his throat and caught the attention of the players.

"This challenge was quite a speedy one," he said. "And at no time during the game did you break any rules. Since all off you had made it here by 11:00 A.M., the team pot now has an additional twenty thousand coins. Hey, well done guys."

**Team Pot**

_**115,000c**_

"What a morning!" Luigi said. The others couldn't agree any more._**  
**_

* * *

Toadette: _There's so much money going into the pot, it's not even funny! Winning the money is like a dream, a dream which you know could never happen but even that, you still like to think about it._

Birdo: _Knowing that the winning of the Board the Train Challenge was because of me, I feel really proud in myself. It's that type of pride that you know you shouldn't feel about yourself but you can't help doing so._

Peach: _More money doesn't hurt at all. It's super! My, I enjoyed riding in the Excess Express train for forty-five minutes. I mean, isn't a ride in it supposed to be expensive?  
_

Blooper: _I really have higher suspicions for everyone except for Birdo and Lakitu right now. I think I really know who the Mole is._

Luigi: _Birdo is the smartest organism alive right now. How did she know that riddle?_

Lakitu: _I have an exemption! I'm safe for this episode! I have never felt so secure in my life before. Exemption, baby.  
_

* * *

It indeed was a tiring morning. The number one worst possible thing that could happen was to wake up eight o'clock in the morning, wash your face, worry about the upcoming execution, pick up the ringing phone, and be told that a challenge awaited for you outside at the train station. Well, the maximum challenges for each episode was three, and that would never change. There has already been three challenges in this episode

But one "challenge" still remained to be done.

* * *

For lunch, Zess T. was specially chosen to host the meal in the dining table, in the back of her cooking shop. Koopasta and honey shrooms were set up for each player to treat on. All the players were in a good mood from their previous success.

"These honey shrooms are beastly," Lakitu told her.

"Go talk to Lahla in the casino," Zess T. said in her raspy, yet usual voice. "You'll have lots in common."

"Umm, what really is inside the Koopasta?" Toadette asked her. "It's not really turtle, right?"

"Don't be naive," said Zess T. "When you get Fresh Pasta and whisk around with fermented turtley leaves, this is what you get. It's quite tasty."

"Well, I always thought it had turtle somewhere in it," added Toadette.

"I'm reminded so much of when I used to eat in my Mom's kitchen," Peach said, as the others laughed.

Zess T. had been told by McHallyboo to play a part in the next event. The point of the lunch was for her to teach the six players a lesson they should remember, especially two specific players sitting at one side of the table. As they ate contently, Zess T. quickly thought up the words she were to tell them in her head.

"Is there any ketchup?" asked Blooper. "I would appreciate it if I were given some."

"Ketchup isn't necessary," Birdo couldn't help saying. "The food is already cooked so good."

"Oh, hush," Zess T. said, "and enough with the flattering."

"But it's true," Luigi told her. "I mean, wow! I didn't know home-made food could be so good."

"When you're old like me, you'll have nothing else to do," she explained, getting into her task. "Do anyone of you know how an elderly person lives?" Nobody exactly knew the answer, so no one answered her.

"Your life is decreased in ways," she went on. "You wish you could do stuff that, you know, you could do without a sweat in your younger years. But sometimes life could be so hard when you face troubles." They all listened while sipping up their pasta noodles.

"When you realize how old you've become, you start to appreciate life more. You don't take the people you know for granted. You appreciate all the help you receive."

"Wow," Peach said. "I've never really thought about it that way."

"I love my grandfather so much," Toadette said out loud, remembering how much she had always helped him with stuff that he wasn't able to do anymore.

"So you're saying that when we get old, we live in dumpsters?" Lakitu said, stuffing an entire honey shroom into his mouth. Zess T. glared at him.

"That's NOT what I was trying to direct to you!" she snapped. "We appreciate everything we receive, and every person we meet."

"Respect your elders," Blooper said, remembering a phrase he had heard numerous times before.

"Oh boy, I think you're doing great, Ms. T.," Luigi told her. "Thank you for the great a lesson!" Zess T. smiled and looked pleased. They continued to feast on the lunch for about ten minutes. All had plenty to eat but were warned to not stuff themselves too heavily. Birdo, on the other hand, was smarter than the rest of the others and shared her thoughts on a diary recording.

Birdo: _I knew something just seemed planned. I didn't know exactly that it was the talking about old people, but I knew Zess T., or even her food, was included somewhow._

* * *

Blooper, Peach, Birdo, and Luigi were brought afterwards into a room in the upstairs inn. Waiting next to a television was none other than their host McHallyboo.

"It's three o'clock," he said to them. "Happy to see you again, no?" They nodded.

"What we're about to do right now is not a challenge," he told them. "It's called a test. This certain test is called the Ethics Test." The television turned on right away, and there, sitting on a table and filling out a survey, was Toadette.

"Do any of you know why Lakitu and Toadette were chosen to participate in it?"

"Because they both have exemptions," Blooper said, almost immediately.

"That's right. And now they could lose them." The four players exchanged glances, not knowing exactly how they should feel after hearing his statement. Birdo didn't want anyone to lose their earned exemptions. Blooper hoped at least one of them would become victim. They laughed lightly and then turned their attention back to the TV.

"After taking their unproductive survey of how they think the game is so far, they are told to immediately head straight back to the inn," McHallyboo explained. "But then they'll encounter something along the way. I truly hope they had remembered Zess T.'s words of wisdom. It'll be crucial for them."

"I knew it!" Birdo said. The others realized too how random Zess T.'s brief lesson was.

"Across from the sidewalk Toadette and Lakitu must walk on, an elderly man would be across the empty street, having difficulty with something," he continued. "They will be sent out one after the decided to morally challenge themself and help him would be rewarded in keeping their exemption." The players could only imagine the next part.

"But," he said. "_If_ they decide that returning back to the game immediately is better than helping an aged, struggling koopa troopa, their exemption would be taken away and they would be no longer safe for tonight's execution. There is a twist, however."

"Oh no," Luigi groaned. "Are a we involved?"

"I'm going to ask you a question before each of them heads off," he told them, "and if you answer correctly, the old koopa troopa would be attempting to push a cart full of heavy boxes. If you answer wrong however, the situation would look less troublesome, and the old koopa troopa would be struggling to read a map. A person with a heart, however, would be speculated to help an elderly man either way. Or would they? Would they help an aged man at all? Here is the first question, for Toadette: when Zess T. put down the plate of honey shrooms, how many were there in the beginning?"

"No idea," said Luigi.

"Weren't there like twenty?" Peach said, trying her best to remember. "Or maybe it was fifteen. Gosh, I don't want Toadette to lose her exemption at all."

"Maybe it wouldn't have been so hard if Lakitu wasn't gobbling them up like a pig," Blooper remembered. "I mean, it was as if he were making it intentionally difficult to remember this question." The others laughed.

"Birdo, what do you think?" Luigi asked her. Her eyes looked up at her upper-left, trying her best to put herself at the beginning of the lunch. She had a gut feeling.

"I would say twenty," said Birdo, "but I'm not a hundred percent sure."

"I think Lakitu would have been the only person to know this question," Luigi said. "It's a so ironic that he is not here."

"I agree on twenty," Peach said, looking at the others. "Well, right?" Everyone nodded.

"Twenty," she said, directing it to McHallyboo. Peach crossed her fingers.

"That is correct!" he said in a joyful tone. "Great remembering. Now look at the television. Look! Toadette is exiting the little building and is headed out towards the sidewalk."

* * *

Remembering the instructions from the producers to head straight back to the inn, Toadette walked with confusion along the sidewalk, carrying the heavy ball of torture wherever she went. The survey seemed odd; a question even asked if the food served so far on the show was excellent or horrible. Excluding the Acquired and Accustomed challenge, Toadette had marked the food to be fabulous.

She entered into the East Side of Rogueport, where a road had been recently been built due to the increase of automobiles. She quietly walked her way, thinking about her family and how much she missed them. Then she spotted the old man.

"Wow," she said, looking at the helpless koopa troopa trying to push a cart full of cargo. His eyes were nearly closed from frustration, and he was panting heavily as he inched the cart further to his destination. There really was no destination, but if there was one, it looked as if it were to the Rogueport docks. Toadette stared at him, remembering the directions she was told about. If she were to help him, she would not be following the exact directions from the producers of returning immediately.

Toadette: _When I saw him, I was like, "What a creepy coincidence!" I immediately remembered Zess T.'s talking, just like that in a flash._

"Screw following directions," Toadette decided, walking across the road to approach the troubled koopa troopa. She put on her most kind smile.

"Sir, I noticed that you're having trouble," she said, putting the metal ball in her arms onto the ground.. "Do you need any help?" The old koopa troopa was Marcus, one of the writers for _The Mole. _He talked in his false, sore voice.

"My, what a young little girl," he said, grinning happily and showing all of his crooked teeth. "I would love it."

"I would be so glad to push this cart for you," Toadette said kindly. And she did. After saying this sentence, she never said another word.

Toadette grabbed the cart and pushed it at a steady rate, and at the same time, she lifted her chain and ball device on top of the cart to make things easier. Marcus walked slowly behind her. It was also an excruciating test of patience, and whenever Toadette stopped at her slow speed to turn around, Marcus would be at least ten feet away. She didn't care; she remembered what Zess T. had told the players. If Toadette had been smart enough she would have realized that this was really no coincidence at all.

* * *

"I'm happy for her," Birdo said, seeing Toadette pushing she cargo cart on the screen as the old man trailed behind.

"One of your fellow peers has passed the Test of Ethics," McBallyhoo concluded, looking at the screen. "But now we must determine Lakitu's question before she arrives here. What is the recipe of Koopasta?" Luigi looked at Birdo, who looked at Blooper, who turned to look at Peach.

"I remember her saying the recipe," Blooper said. "Didn't it have turtles in it?"

"No, that's what Toadette thought," Peach said, remembering. "I don't really remember, but it was fresh pasta and something else."

"Toadette would have known the answer to this question," Birdo realized. "Zess T. answered _her _question."

"It's made out of Fresh Pasta," said Luigi. "And...

"And..."

"I remember," Birdo said suddenly. "Fermented squid guts...eww, no. Fermented-"

"Turtley leaves," finished Blooper, then looked at McHallyboo. "The recipe for Koopasta is the mixture of fresh pasta and fermented turtley leaves."

"Correct!" he exclaimed.

Toadette has spent over five minutes pushing the cart for Marcus, and after that, her face turned into a look of worry as she rushed off back to the inn. The television followed her steps as she opened the door, went upstairs, and met with the others. She was utterly surprised.

"What?" she said. Everyone broke into laughter, as McHallyboo turned off the TV.

"You were in the Ethics Test," explained McHallyboo. "And your exemption was at risk. Since you had helped-"

"Oh my god," Toadette said, realizing how close she was to losing her exemption. "Marcus was the test, if I'm thinking correctly."

"You deserve to keep a your exemption," Luigi said. "Good job!"

"Now we're up to person number two," McHallyboo said, turning the television on. Lakitu was seen exiting the door of the survey building.

* * *

Lakitu let out a laugh as he walked along the sidewalk, thinking about the useless test he had just filled out.

Lakitu: _It was funny. All the while I had a piece of honey shroom in my teeth that I played around with during the survey. Why did I just tell everyone that? I have a strange mind, huh? I also think that the survey is going to be part of a later challenge. But I don't care really if it really is or not._

Entering into the East side of Rogueport, Lakitu walked casually along the sidewalk, despite knowing that he had to reach the inn immediately. When he finally saw the aged man struggling with the cart of boxes, he literally stopped in his tracks.

"Oh," he said. The eyes of Marcus' were nearly closed from frustration, and he was panting heavily as he inched the cart further to his destination. There really was no destination, but if there was one, it looked as if it were to the Rogueport docks. Lakitu just stared, walking at a slower gait as he looked across the street of him.

He knew how awful breaking the rules of the game were. Ever since Luigi had broken the rules in their very first challenge, the Cliff Springs jump, he took extra care in listening to the words of McHallyboo. And when the producers told him to go immediately to the inn, he took those words and imprinted it into his to-do list.

He completely ignored Marcus and sped at a quicker gait, disappearing out of view.

* * *

"Holy shoot!" Luigi couldn't help saying, seeing Lakitu pass the disabled man without bothering to look at him again.

"Dumbass," Blooper muttered. Although nobody else but Blooper said it, everyone else felt the same about Lakitu. Peach seemed offended by what she had seen.

"Why would he do that?" Luigi added. "Toadette, I congratulate you tenfold for helping that poor old koopa troopa."

"It seems like Lakitu had failed," McHallyboo said, and everyone thought that they could see a grin growing on his face. "Looks like he'll face a surprise when he arrives." Blooper and Peach chuckled.

It wasn't long until Lakitu walked up the steps and entered the small room of the inn. He, too, was utterly surprised at seeing himself on the TV. Everyone had mixed expressions on their faces.

"Hey," said McHallyboo.

"Uh, hi," Lakitu replied. "What was going on here?"

"Bad news," Toadette said. "Sorry, but it's true." Blooper grinned.

"What?"

"You lost your exemption!" Birdo said out loud, spilling the beans. The players laughed, every one of them except for Lakitu obviously, who's mouth dropped in further surprise.

"What? But...when...?"

"You failed the Ethics Test," explained McHallyboo. "For thinking that the rules of the game were more important than helping an old man in real life, you have been punished and your exemption is now gone."

"That old man...you've got to be kidding me." Lakitu sat down and slumped in his chair.

"You deserved it," said Blooper. Lakitu glowered at him.

"I can't believe you would do that," Peach said. She had tone of disbelief in her voice. McHallyboo cleared his throat, and forced Lakitu to hand over his green exemption card back to him. The test was over.

"I don't need an exemption," said Lakitu confidently. "I know I'll make it past this execution." Nobody else had anything to say. The rest of the day was free, much to their relief, but all knew that an execution awaited them. There was too much to worry about to enjoy anything.

* * *

"Man," said Lakitu, as the time read 4:30 P.M. "I worked for that exemption." He was obviously upset about his loss of security. Everyone, except for Toadette, was worrying with him.

"I didn't even deserve to loss my exemption," he continued, trying to aspire sympathy. It was a failure.

"You left an old, struggling man with a heavy cart of cargo," Peach told him, expressing her feelings. "You deserve to be executed!"

"That would really take it too far," Lakitu told her. "Don't cha think?"

"Executed, as in what lays in the middle of Rogueport."

"Whoa," Blooper said. his eyes widening with surprise. Lakitu's mouth was agape as he and Peach gave each other stares of wrath. Peach turned her head away.

"Guys, stop all this. We're all worried about the execution tonight," Birdo said, trying to calm everyone down. "Even I am. But let's take things differently into another approach. Let's plan things differently, huh?" Nobody even replied to her, though all agreed with Birdo in their slightest ways.

"I just want to go home," Toadette admitted. Her voice seemed sad. When she started to walk away from everyone else with the torture device around her leg, they couldn't help but feel sorry for her as Peach followed behind. Blooper took off his blue newsboy cap and shifted his legs, then shifted the stockade around his neck with his short tentacles.

"Well, I'm going to think about my answers for the quiz," he said in his most enthusiastic tone. "This will be fun." He wasn't trying to be sarcastic.

"Me too," said Lakitu. He then groaned and walked off in the opposite direction Toadette and Peach had gone. Blooper walked after him, but then trailed a few feet behind him instead of going into a conversation. Birdo looked around. Only Luigi was left.

"Thanks for being a great player, Birdo," said Luigi. "I a really mean it! You're like a leader." Birdo was surprised by Luigi's kind words.

"Thanks a lot," she replied, looking at the endless horizon of the Rogueport sea. "I joined into this game not for the money at all. I wanted an experience. And so far, if this was the experience I was to get, you don't know how pleased I would be." Luigi looked at her.

* * *

Rogueport wasn't exactly the biggest town. The players had nowhere to go for three hours, but they didn't care. Someone in their group would be taken away at night, permanently cutting the number of innocent players in half. But which person so far was the least knowledgeable?

At exactly six o'clock, all six players arrived at Podley's Inn. McHallyboo was serving them all chicken alfredo, a dinner which nobody could find any faults on eating before an execution. The room was small, but surprisingly satisfying.

"So, what did you all do?" Peach asked, plopping into her chair as a plate of pasta was put before her.

"Whadd'ya mean?" Blooper asked.

"For the numerous hours in this empty place," she explained. "Full of emptiness."

"Nothing, really," Birdo said out loud.

"I a took a ferry trip," Luigi said to the others. Everyone stopped and stared at him.

"Ferry trip?" asked a surprised Toadette. "What! You were allowed to do that?"

"Err, never mind," Luigi said quickly, as if what he had just told the others was top secret information.

"Did you know that Rogeport has underground ruins?" Lakitu told them, stuffing a spoonful of pasta into his mouth. "I was trying to look into those sewer watchamacallits, and this guy came up to me and said that if I were to find one of the hidden passages, I would be able to walk among the remains of the past town. That's spiffy."

"There's an entire story behind all that," Blooper pointed out.

"And it's a much controversial one," Birdo added. "But why are we talking about Rogueport right now? Let's wish each other good luck on the execution tonight." They all nodded, but one of them nodded only to fit in with the others at that moment. Just then, McHallyboo appeared from the back pantry holding a tray of six goblets, each one filled to the rim with Podley's Special Wine.

"Get your glass, get your glass," he told them. "But be warned; the first to grab one would be immediately sent upstairs to take the quiz. Come on, the wine is delicious." Blooper shrugged and grabbed a goblet, handed it over to Lakitu, and stepped his way up the stairs into the inn. The quizzes had begun.

* * *

**1_. Which month was the Mole born in?  
_**

_**- January**_

_**-February**_

_**-June**_

_**-November**_

Blooper: _I still have my suspicions on two people, Peach and Luigi. They're both great candidates, ever since the first day. Luigi, he made the camera visible in the Sell and Laugh game. Peach didn't pose nude, and ever since she made the screen burst in the Hostage Challenge, I've been on her track.  
_

Once Blooper finished the quiz, Birdo went up to take hers.

**2. _In the Sell and Laugh Challenge, what part did the Mole play as?  
_**

**_- A Chooser_**

**_- A Seller_**

**_- A Comedian _**

_**3. What dare was the Mole chosen to do in the Craps Challenge?**_

_**- Pose nude**_

_**-Put a temporary tattoo on the face**_

_**-Wear a stockade**_

_**-Shave head **_

_**-Four dares**_

_**-None**_

Birdo: _I am not exactly sure who the Mole is so far. I don't think it's Lakitu, in my opinion. Blooper is a choice, because he had always been suspicious. But so has Luigi, who is a great candidate, probably even better than Blooper. I'm also going to keep my eye out for Toadette in the future. _

Right after Birdo, Lakitu went next.

**4. _What number did the Mole roll in the Craps Challenge?_**

**_- 1_**

**_- 3_**

**_- 4_**

**_- 6_**

**_- No number _**

Lakitu: _I'm not guessing when I say that Toadette could be the Mole. I remember how she had picked useless items in the Sell and Laugh game. I also think that Luigi too was suspicious, but during the Train game.  
_

**5. _In the Craps Challenge speculation, which phrase did the Mole involve with?  
_**

**_-The speculator_**

**_-A correct prediction_**

**_-An incorrect prediction_**

Luigi had went next upstairs.

**6. _Which town was the Mole in during the Board the Train challenge?_**

**_-Town 3_**

**_-Town 2_**

**_-Town 1_**

Luigi: _Could Lakitu be it? He seemed a very upset when he lost his exemption, but maybe it could have been an act. Lakitu is my main pick, and so is Blooper. I do not want to be eliminated in this episode, so I will pray for luck._

After Luigi finished, Peach then took her quiz.

**7. _Did the Mole and his or her teammate find both train tickets before the train arrived in their town?_**

**_- Yes_**

**_-No_**

**8. _Is the Mole a human or a creature?_**

**_-Human_**

**_-Creature _**

Peach: _I still have this tiny feeling in me that says Birdo could be the Mole. She's very calm, and is apparently extremely good at these challenges_

The last quiz taker, Toadette, went to take the quiz.

**9. _Has the Mole ever earned an exemption in the game so far?_**

**_-Yes_**

**_-No_**

Toadette: _Even though I have an exemption, I still need to think. Lakitu had refused to put a temporary tattoo on his face and sabotaged. Blooper insisted that one train ticket was enough to board the train. Luigi clearly broke the rules in the Laugh game. And even Birdo and Peach are on the list. With everyone on the list, making a choice could either be a lucky success, or a big, regretful, mistake.__  
_

And the last question of all:

**10. _Who is the Mole?_**

-Toadette

-Birdo

-Blooper

-Lakitu

-Luigi

-Peach

* * *

Execution 4 took place outside. It was already dark in the sky as all six players went up to the center of Rogueport. There, on the gallows, was the television from the inn and McHallyboo standing besides it. He had a emotionless, if stern, look on his face as the players took their seats on the stone floor. They were all silent, staring at the green thumb print on the screen that had the words THE MOLE pasted over it.

"Welcome to your fourth execution," McHallyboo told them. "I've picked an unsettling spot just for the occasion." The rope behind him swung gently in the light wind.

"It's time for one of you to leave as the Mole's fourth victim," he said, and though they all already knew the rules for an execution, he was always required to repeat them just for clarification. It, too, was also a good way to distress the players even more.

"If I type your name in, and a green thumb appears, you are safe," he said, pointing to the television. "But, if I type in your name and the screen turns red, it means you had scored the least on the quiz and that you have been eliminated." Nobody bothered to nod. The suspense was killing them all as they looked at each other with nervous eyes.

"Toadette," he continued. "Please give me your exemption." Toadette stood up and handed the card to the host. He slid it into a slit of his keyboard.

T-O-A-D-E-T-T-E

EXEMPTED

Toadette sat back down, relief going all over her body. Then, the host said something he had never said before in any execution.

"On the quiz tonight, there had been a tie," he announced, as the players exchanged glances of confusion. "And in cases like this one, the player who had submitted their answers for all ten questions the fastest would be the one to stay, while the other player would be the eliminated one. Execution 4...has now begun." He looked at the group of players.

"Birdo," McHallyboo started. Everyone looked at Birdo, who gave a deep breath and looked at the screen, seeing her name being typed in.

B-I-R-D-O

...

...

...

...

...

RED

Everyone, including Birdo herself, gasped. The screen didn't lie; it displayed a thumb print with a red background.

"No way," Peach said in disbelief.

"The first name entered?" a stunned Lakitu said out loud. "But, that defies logic-how-" Their faces were baffled.

"We must leave, Birdo," McHallyboo told her. "Immediately." Birdo looked at the five players, who looked back with incredulity. The smartest, and the most innocent one of the players, was executed. A few looked back at her as if their hearts had been broken. Without warning, Toadette, the weak one, burst into tears. It then started a rift of sorrow.

"Please, don't cry." Birdo herself had started to feel emotional herself.

"I wish you didn't a have to go," Luigi managed to say, his voice heavily saddened. Blooper just looked away, his cap covering over his face, as Birdo turned to face McHallyboo.

"Just for being in our company," Lakitu told her, "we thank you a lot. And we mean it." He grinned, and for the first time in the game, Lakitu looked as if he were going to cry.

"I thought you were the Mole!" Peach said as she and Birdo laughed for a brief second, wiping tears from both of their eyes that had just been formed. It was the saddest execution to date, and as a taxi was heard honking from behind them, they all turned around to face the docks. Birdo managed to wave goodbye as she was pulled away by McHallyboo towards the Rogueport docks, with the rest of the five players waving back endlessly until she was out of sight. It was a windy night, and everyone was feeling as if what had just happened was not correct. Peach moved next to Toadette and hugged her, Blooper still kept away from the others, and Luigi and Lakitu kept staring at the ferry in the distance.

McHallyboo brought Birdo to the taxi, which in fact, was a miniature boat. Like the previous three taxi's on the show, it too had a caduceus sign on it. Birdo let out a laugh, and so did the host.

"Tell me how your experience had been so far," he said.

"I can't explain it in words," she admitted, wiping the tears of happiness and sorrow from both of her eyes. "I've never before felt so welcome and appreciated before in my life. Being on this show and working with the others had given me an experience greater than any other one before. It had all its mixes; cooperation, difficulties, amusement, and even moments of mere joy."

* * *

"Birdo!" a shocked Lakitu shouted, back at the gallows. "Why did she have to leave? How?" He was baffled; Birdo had scored the lowest on the quiz.

"I'm even surprised," Blooper said, finally turning around with his blue cap still concealing his face. Luigi was crouching down, and another gust of wind blew over them.

"Ai, I feel so lonesome," Luigi told them as he stood up. "I miss Birdo. She did everything."

"Like winning the train challenge," Peach told him. "And giving up her check to save the players in jail. She didn't have to do that at all. We like, ordered her not to and she gave up her check of money."

"She was an awesome leader," Luigi said. "Oh, I remember in the Clue challenge, she sat down right away. Remember?"

"And I didn't," Lakitu said with a grin. They all turned to him and smiled.

"She...made people laugh on her own!" Toadette managed to say through her sobs, as she and a few others gave a small chuckle. "She was really going out of character in the Laugh challenge." Peach nodded, drying the rest of her tears on a spare hankercheif she had found.

"I was so happy for her. If I had been given the opportunity to give my exemption away, I would have definitely given it to her. And now...she's no longer with us."

* * *

"Do you have any last things to say, before being sent off from The Mole?" McHallyboo said to her, as the ferry taxi tooted one more time.

"I'll never forget being in the company of all eight players," she said, taking the words true from her heart. "The alliances we all made, and how everything got solved out eventually. It wasn't about the money at all. Money wasn't the reason why I came onto this show. It was all about the experience, which I would never, ever forget." Birdo then boarded the ferry moments later, as the wind grew increasingly heavier. The moon and wind seemed to combine into a single union, just like the six players had done throughout their episode. But not anymore was their six left. One had disappeared.

* * *

**Another loved player, gone.**

**The group only has five left, and only one will succeed. Another is still keeping him or her self hidden...**

**If you check my _F__orums_ on my profile, you will see the OFFICIAL MOLE POLL. Is it really official? (It is not. Feel free to vote, but it closes at end of Episode 5). So please submit your early opinion vote!**

**Also, check out the clues on my profile. There is the Rogueport Ferry flag with a number game, a map of Town 1 where Luigi and Birdo had been, and an execution page of the players. And newest of all, profile pictures for two executed players, Rawko and Mr. Slick! The rest of the players would come later.**


	16. Ringing of Peril

**Episode 5**

_Mole has done it again. A fourth, trustworthy player, Birdo, had disappeared last night from the game, leaving the others in a tearful departure. There had been doubts in her mind on who the traitor was, and those players whom she had declared to be absolutely innocent on the quiz were NOT as innocent as she thought they were in reality. Only four innocent ones remain though. They discover that survival means bumping of the others, no matter how back-striking or cruel it could be. One could never be bumped off however, and that person is the cruelest of them all: The Mole.  
_

* * *

Peach

Surname: Toadstool

Birthday: February 3

Occupation: Tennis Trainer

"I am soooo the Mole! I sabotage a lot!"

Blooper

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

"I'm not the traitor."

Toadette

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emercency Nurse

"Of course, I am the best Mole!"

Lakitu

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

"I can tell you if I'm the Mole or not. But then that'd be cheating, so I won't until the end."

Luigi

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

"Me? The Mole? You a got to be kidding me!"

* * *

Luigi: _I can't believe it! How is a Birdo gone? She was the smartest and the best, and I should have been gone instead._

Peach: _It's one less suspect, but a very sad loss that makes me wish there hadn't of been an execution last night._

Blooper: _Well, I'm not all that sad that Birdo was eliminated. But I'm still blown out of my mind, because it was a shock to me and others too that she was the lowest scorer. It makes me wonder, and hopefully, I'll know who the Mole is. But to tell the truth, I'm pretty sure I've known who the Mole was for a long time now.  
_

Lakitu: _Who cares? I want to make it to the end of this game! I'll fight from being eliminated! I'll never be eliminated!  
_

Toadette: _Is it true that I'm not weak anymore? I won't let anyone call me weak from now on. _

* * *

It was time to leave from Rogueport. Zess T. gave them all a hearty breakfast before the five players set off in the Rogueport ferry. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and the trip only took a single hour to their next destination of the game. But where exactly were they headed for the fifth episode? 

On the ferry, the torture devices of Blooper and Toadette were taken off.

"Phew, it was not worth it," Blooper said regretingly as the stoackade was opened up around his head.

"Freedom!" Toadette said happily as the ball and chain device was unshackled from her foot.

The arcade was open again, and the five players played free games consecutively. Peach commented on how she had felt like a child.

Peach: _Just playing video games with others instead of tidying my looks seemed like such a memory. I felt like a little kid who did nothing but play on the computer all day._

The place the players arrived at was extremely unfamiliar to them. It was a grassy terrain when they got off the ferry, and they went up to meet McHallyboo, who was strangely already at the destination.

They couldn't believe what they saw. It resembled a military practice obstacle course. In fact, that was exactly what it was. Exactly one and a half miles down, past the water, past the wall, past the barbed wires, and past the lavish amounts of green grass, was a brick tower that glared fiercely across the ground from the reflection of its bell. Littered across the obstacle course were white, mechanical objects that were boxed shaped and had tubes that stuck out of them.

Blooper: _The sight looked shocking. It made me think about the Mole and how he or she would be playing in this challenge. _

"Jeez," said Lakitu, looking at the what lay ahead of the five of them.

"I know this challenge looks painful," McHallyboo told them. "It's really painful."

"How painful?" questioned Lakitu. McHallyboo shifted his eyes across the land in front of them.

"This first task of your fifth episode is called the Bell of Endurance challenge," he explained. "And it's not that simple. Three of you will hold a key each that must be used to unlock the tower at the end. To reach the tower, you must traverse across this militaristic, minimized, obstacle course. Obstacle one is a Swamp Moat." He pointed to a river not more than 500 feet away from them.

"You _will _get wet," he told them. "And you will get muddy. You must jump fifteen feet into the water below and make it across." None of the players liked that idea at all.

"After the water, you must travel under a platform of razor wire with a two foot clearance, the Razor Wire Crawl. Make it through." The players stared at each other, looking troubled as they laughed out loud.

"Razor wire?" Luigi said, a bead of sweat going down the side of his head. "Ai, what is this?!"

"Do not get barbed wire and razor wire mixed around," McHallybook said seriously. "Razor wire can cut your skin so deep that not only would blood ooze out, but so would subsurface tissue and fat." There were groans of disgust and replies of horror.

"Don't be the one in the back, I warn you. If someone in front of you has been cut so much that he's bleeding, you wouldn't want to be face-down, crawling across their blood and smearing their blood all over the grass, would you want that?"

"I'd want to do that!" Toadette said, who was joking. Nobody would ever want to do such a strange, grotesque thing like that, really. Except for a sadist.

"If you are able to pass that, you will then climb the Wall of Electricity. It's like a wall-ladder. It's metal, and you can climb the bars. Every thirty seconds, it will give a jolt of electricity that will knock you backwards onto the hard grass." The words so far that came out of McHallyboo's mouth did not seem right at all. The players didn't know what kind of challenge this was that they were about face, but by the explanation of it, there was no doubt in their minds that this was going to be the most screwed-up one so far on the show.

"But how tall is the wall?" asked Peach. "If it shocks you when you're at the top---"

"You'll fall about fifteen feet," McHallyboo said to her. "It's a quite big fall. And quite a big shock. You know, the funny thing is that the wall in this challenge gives off a volt shock, while an electric chair only gives a 2,000 volt one." They stared at him once again until he continued.

"If you make it to the end, there is a lock with three key holes. Use the three keys to enter and run to the top of the spiraling stairs. There is a rope for the bell. Ring it, and you win. 30,000 coins."

Lakitu: _Thirty thousand coins is hell not worth this. I mean, we had a Clue challenge a while ago that had a maximum of forty thousand coins to be won, and we had the chance to win that by staying still and not doing anything. Here, we have to run through a hell maze.  
_

"And there is another twist," McHallyboo stated. "This will probably be the most unpleasant. You noticed the numerous white machines scattered in certain places, right? They are tranquilizer shooters that sensor motion. We've ordered them specially from a company in New Zealand. They are called Zb JUNE's. They're female killers, and they'll hurt you if you get close." Some of them chuckled at the host's awkward phrase.

"Zb June?" Blooper questioned. "What an bad name."

Toadette: _I hate needles, and I don't want to be shot by a tranquilizer. I don't know why this horrid game was even thought up by whoever. _

"This is a joke!" said a disbelieving Toadette. "Is this a trick?"

"Of course it's not," McHallyboo said, "but I thought the game would be much too easy without them."

"It already sounded threatening enough," Peach pointed out.

"I don't think this challenge has security anywhere in it," Luigi said out loud.

"The numerous Zb JUNE's scattered around only detect motion, however. If you are shot, you will stop where you are and cannot continue. If you are a person with a key and get shot, another player must retrieve it from you and continue on. Do not break any rules, not that there are really any in this challenge. Any questions?"

"What if we get hurt?" Peach asked. "Will we be treated or anything afterwards?"

"Who wants to carry a key?" McHallyboo said, holding three tiny keys in his hand. Strangely, Blooper immediately grabbed one before the others could think about it.

"Not me," said Luigi. "Not me! Not me!" Lakitu looked at him.

"I think I could handle it," Lakitu said, grabbing the second key and putting it into his pocket. He had a feeling that he was going to make it to the end.

"Cool, I want one," Toadette said, as McHallyboo handed her the last one. Peach thought differently.

"Ready to start?" They gave him baffled stares.

"Already?" Luigi said, panicked. "But...what...!" He was panicked out of his mind.

"Go! The game has started! You have an hour to make it. GO GO GO!" It was the rules of the challenge to head off at that exact moment. All five players sped their way across the grass, not knowing what kind of dangers were in store for them.

* * *

"Give it to me, Toadette." Peach said, holding her hand out. Toadette seemed confused. 

"But why?" she asked.

"Just give it." Toadette took out her key and handed it to Peach.

"Was he really serious about the razor wire obstacle?" Luigi said in a loud voice, as they ran across the grass. The moat was not far away.

"And the electric fence," Blooper remembered. "What kind of challenge is this? It seems odd to me, and very fake."

"Fake?" The moat was getting closer to them.

"Oh shit," Lakitu said, turning to his left. A few feet ahead of them was their first tranquilizer machine, a 'Zb JUNE' sitting down on a small pedestal in the middle of the terrain. None of them felt safe at that moment.

"Oh, my god," Peach said. "This is a joke."

"Oh shoot," Luigi said. "It's a joke, get it? Shoot?" Nobody felt like laughing at this moment.

"It fires when there's motion," Toadette remembered. "I think there's a way past this..."

"I hate this game," said Blooper. "I want to give up. Tranquilizers are a pain in the ass, and there are hundreds after this one."

"Maybe there's a way around," Luigi suggested. It was a good guess, but there wasn't.

"Can we quit now?" Blooper said. "I think it's not too late. There are hundreds of tranquilizer machines here and it's way too dangerous! Have you ever felt a tranquilizer before? The toxins take over you and your body goes numb, as if you're losing blood."

"I don't like that," said Toadette with fear. They all looked at Blooper; why was he convincing them to just give up? Lakitu was thinking the opposite of him, though.

"Let's just run!" Lakitu told them. "Run and dodge!"

"One by one," suggested Peach. She hated the idea, but it was the only one that anybody could think of.

"Wait! Our bodies," Toadette asked them. "We have no protective gear or anything. The host just sent us off with nothing."

"Girl, needles poke through anything!" Blooper told her. She shuddered. Lakitu seemed impatient, eying the white machine feet ahead of them.

"I said," Lakitu said for a second time, "let's run so fast that the needles won't hit us. It's that easy." Luigi remembered Blooper's words of the description of a tranquilizer.

"I don't want to get shot!" Luigi cried. "I don't want to!"

"Then don't get shot!" Blooper snapped.

None of them moved at all. The Zb JUNE still lay a good ten feet away.

"We're not going to make it," Blooper said. "There are hundreds of tranquilizing machines to go in this course ahead, and here we are, scared shit-less by one single, little, puny machine. Let's just run across the grass, right? Or quit."

"That's what I said we should do!" Lakitu shouted. "I'm telling everyone to just run across so many times. Let's do it! AHHH!"

He took a dash suddenly, running past the white machine as the tube sticking out of the box mechanically turned. It sensed motion, and fired. The dart sailed, but Lakitu had outrun it by many feet. He didn't stop running for another five second after that, until he turned around and realized he was perfectly safe. The four on the other side were relieved.

"The dart didn't even come close to you," Blooper said. He, too, ran across as the dart missed him. Peach, Luigi, and Toadette were still left to go.

"Hold my hand," Peach said to Toadette, as the two females ran across the view of the peril-contained Zb JUNE, screaming with fright. Only a single dart was fired, and it missed them. Luigi was the last one left. He yelled his way through and was safe from any possible harm, just like the others were. He was gasping as he met with the others.

"Easier than I thought," said Peach. "Right, everyone? Phew." She was panting.

"No, it wasn't," Toadette argued. "I hate this."

"I don't think doing this challenge is a good idea," Blooper said to them. "I told you all, we should quit."

"We haven't even made it one-third of the way," Lakitu said. "This will seem like forever."

* * *

The five of them, shaken from the escaping of the first machine, walked even more towards the bell tower at the end. The land had begun to rise five hundred feet from the beginning, and they were feet away from the edge of the moat. Once the players got to the edge of the moat, they would look fifteen feet below them to see water, murky and swamp-colored They would be forced to jump into the cold water and swim back to the land, where they would presume their running to the finish. 

The players encountered a dilemma; if they were to jump into the water below, they would have to do it quickly. A second Zb JUNE waited right at the edge of the moat, waiting to shoot anyone who stopped at the edge of the fifteen-foot drop into the cold liquid.

"That's the moat," Blooper told them all, "with another tranquilizer machine. I wish I hadn't of decided to so this challenge."

"No!" Luigi cried. "No! Not again! Stupid June!" They all felt the same, yet they all saw previously how slow-reacting the machine really was. If they were to actually stop moving, the dart would definitely hit them. But if they ran, there would be a zero percent chance of being hit.

"Is there a drop?" Peach wondered.

"I don't know," Toadette said. "But a moat is water, I think."

"What if it's a not water?" said Luigi. "We might be splatting on ground instead!" They all thought of this.

"If only we knew what lay in front," Peach said. "Should we take a look?"

"Are you nuts?" Lakitu said to her. "We don't just walk to the edge of the moat and peer to take a look. That stupid 'Zb' machine will shoot us We either quit or jump right away." He looked at the others, who made unsure faces.

"Quit," Blooper said. Lakitu frowned.

Blooper: _In my opinion, I would suggest to quit if I were able to force everyone else. I know this task is worth a lot of money, but our safety is much better than that. _

"Go first, okay?" Toadette asked Lakitu. "We want you to jump and yell back if it's safe, because none of us will do it." Once again, Lakitu took his chances. After a brief pause, he then ran up the elevated land up to the edge of the moat. The four players held their breaths as the machine turned to look at him, but Lakitu was already gone. He had jumped head first into the unknown region below. A splash, loud enough to be confirmed, was heard.

"Lakitu!" yelled Blooper.

"It's cold!" Lakitu shouted back. "It's cold!"

"Is it water?" asked Luigi nervously. Apparently, Lakitu did not hear him from above.

"Is it water?" Peach yelled.

"It's hard concrete!" Lakitu shouted back, his voice shivering. "No, dumbass! Of course it's water! Just jump!" After a moment of hesitation, Blooper ran up to the edge of the moat and immediately jumped off, the tranquilizer dart flying off into the distance and missing him entirely. He landed in the water, and looked up. Lakitu was trying to dry himself back on the grass, while Blooper went to swim towards him.

"That was tight," Blooper said, trying his best to get back onto the grass. Blooper contemplated, having regretted taking a key for the tower at the end. This would mean that he was expected to make it to the finish. He and Lakitu looked up at the edge of the moat, where the three others were to soon approach. Peach and Toadette decided to run across the tranquilizing device like before, holding hands and screaming as they took the fifteen foot plunge. They landed with a large splash.

"Gah!" sputtered Toadette, trying her best to stay on the surface.

"Ugh!" screamed Peach, feeling her clothes soaking up with the murky water. She grabbed Toadette and pulled the two of them onto the grass feet away. It was a horrible first obstacle, as Toadette started to cry.

"Toadette!" Peach said in a surprised, yet sympathetic voice.

"Nooo!" Blooper shouted. "I can't believe it!" When he raised up his arm, Lakitu burst out laughing. There was a watch, its interior filled with water. The time laid exactly 10: 25.

"I knew we should have quit!" Blooper moaned. "Let's stop this challenge and give up the money."

Lakitu: _The more Blooper wanted to quit and quit, the more I hated him. It's something difficult to decide, I mean, the challenge was awful. But it wasn't really THAT awful to quit for._

"I feel so cold," Peach said. Unfortunately, no one had a jacket around with them. Toadette quickly stopped her crying and tried to dry her clothing.

"You're not the only one with a frozen ass," Lakitu said, wrapping his arms around his body.

"Luigi!" Peach remembered. "Where is he?"

"I think we're waiting for one more person," Lakitu realized, as they all turned to watch behind them. Luigi, indeed, was frightened. He had only done the Cliff Springs challenge on the first day because of Daisy's existence. Now, there was nobody with him in sight.

"Here I go!" he shouted, running up to the edge of the moat. Faster and faster he ran, until he was inches away from jumping. He stopped suddenly, his mouth dropping as he skidded to a sudden pause at the unexpected height. The four others could see him in plain view. It was a catastrophic act; the dart took its aim and fired the tranquilizer straight into Luigi's back. He let out a single, squeaked gasp, then toppled over the edge head-first into the water with a splash larger than any of the others before him.

"LUIGI!" Toadette screamed, crying once again. Peach wanted to scream herself, but she couldn't. Lakitu stood still, frozen. Blooper looked away, uninterested.

"He's going to drown!" Toadette told them, expecting the others to go and save him. None of the males felt any compassion.

"What's wrong with him?" Lakitu said in disbelief. "Why did he stop at the top? Luigi, wow! Good job!" He was putting his mild anger towards a drowning, unconscious player in the murky water. Luigi was fully submerged.

"He's gonna die!" Toadette cried.

"No!" Peach shouted. "No, what do we do...! Wait, look." Peach pointed to three people in scuba masks, who seemed to have appeared from thin air. One of them gave the players a signal of a wave, as the other two proceeded into the pond.

"Is Luigi going to be okay?" she shouted.

"He says to go," Lakitu noticed. "They'll take care of Luigi. Come on, we're running out of time." They hesitantly left to face the rest of the course.

* * *

Minutes later, after running through the grass for half a mile and facing at least ten tranquilizing machines along the way, they encountered a long bed of metal. Their clothes had dried off in the interval between the two obstacles, and were not as damp as they used to be. Ahead of them was the Razor Wire Crawl that McHallyboo had told them about. It went a good hundred feet down to the other side, and the players would be required to crawl across the grass to the exit on the other side. It was a test of awareness and courage. 

"This is horrible," Peach realized. "This is worse than I thought."

"Of course it's horrible," Blooper told her. "It makes me feel like quitting."

"This is horrible!" said Toadette.

Lakitu suddenly looked behind him. The moat was not in sight anymore, and for some reason, he somehow felt responsible in the loss of Luigi.

"Everyone have their keys?" He fished his key out of his pocket and held it up, while Peach took out hers. Blooper had his in his hand, or tentacle in his matter, then placed it into shirt pocket.

"I remember a while ago," Blooper told them, "when my cousin was playing with this piece of razor wire from a fishing net. He cut himself so deep in the back, blood oozed everywhere and we had to re-install the carpet." The other three were appalled.

"I don't want to do this," Toadette said, a hint of anxiety in her voice. They all faced towards the hole of the razor wire crawl.

"I'm brave," Blooper said. "You're the smallest, so you shouldn't have any worry about being cut." Lakitu, of course, went first. He entered the small cave-like entrance and inched his way slowly across the grass. He was uncomfortable.

"This is awfully hard," he admitted. Discovering that the razor wire clearance was higher than he thought, he got up to his knees cautiously. The razor wire still was a good ten inches from his body, so he proceeded in crawling.

"I'll go," Peach said, making her way inside. She was in an area full of hazards; the razor wire was littered all above her. She let out a little squeal of amusement as she went deeper. Blooper went next.

"Wait, wait," Toadette said, grabbing onto his shirt to prevent him from immediately going. "I need to grab onto you. I can't go there with nobody behind me."

"Nothing to be afraid off," he told her. "Or better yet, do _you_ want to go first?" Toadette glanced into the darkened pit. Peach and Lakitu had already crawled a tenth of the way through.

"Please," Toadette begged, "don't go fast. I can't go in by myself." Blooper went down to the ground and entered through the blanket of razor wire. Toadette crawled down to his height and grabbed onto him, and they both went inside into the second obstacle of the challenge.

"It's so scary," Toadette whispered, clinging onto Blooper.

Lakitu and Peach were feet ahead of them, but not making any progress. The grass became more rough the farther they crawled.

"This is so dangerous!" Peach told him. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"Not as scary," Lakitu said, "as I thought it would be. McHallyboo exaggerated this."

"Please," Peach said. "A person who would have the morals to leave a struggling old man alone shouldn't be scared of anything." Lakitu gave her a stare and stopped crawling, and she laughed.

Blooper was cautious himself, trying to make sure that his back was not anywhere close to the wire. Seeing that Lakitu and Peach were farther ahead, he speed-crawled to catch up to them. It was a dangerous thing to do in the obstacle, but he succeeded anyway. He tapped Lakitu on the shoulder.

"Jeez!" he shouted. Blooper burst into laughter, seeing the startled face of Lakitu as he turned around.

"Were you behind us all along?" Lakitu asked him. "I didn't sense it."

"Nah, I used my super fast crawling skills to reach here," Blooper explained. "This obstacle is frightening though, but it's too later to turn back now." They both looked at Peach, who had an odd expression on her face. She was looking at Blooper.

"What?" Blooper questioned. "Why the strange face?"

"Where's Toadette?" she asked, her face turning white.

"She's been following me...wait, where's Toadette?" The three of them were already halfway down the "crawl of peril", and were able to see both ends of the razor wire cover they were in. One was the exit, on the side they were proceeding closer to. But on the other side, behind them, was the entrance they had entered through. It was where they saw Toadette, laying motion-less on the grass.

"Toadette!" shouted Blooper. Peach covered her mouth, terrified.

"You just left her?" Lakitu said to Blooper in disbelief.

"She was following right behind me!" said Blooper, realizing he was being accused. "I, um, I thought she was right behind me."

"What happened to her?" said Peach in a frightened tone of voice. "I think she passed out! Oh my god!"

"I can't see her so well," Lakitu told them, having the worst eyesight of them all. Through the darkness they were in, it was hard to see the figure at the end.

"Maybe one of those tranquilizers hit her," contemplated Blooper.

"I didn't seen any machines around," said Lakitu, trying his best to remember.. "And if there _was_ a Zb JUNE around, it would have shot one of us as we entered through! What do we do now?"

"Go back!" Peach said to the two males. "Go back and help her!" Though it was the right thing to do, neither of them were willing to do so.

"I'd rather finish the rest of the crawl, thank you very much," Blooper said. "It's her fault for being shot and not being quick enough. Let's go." Peach glared at him angrily, then shook her head in disagreement. But it was already decided.

"She doesn't have a key," Lakitu realized. "Thank, thank, THANK goodness. That would have sucked so much."

"I guess it's fine," Peach said with a sigh.

"And we need to make it to the end," Blooper reminded. "All three of us, to earn the money." They had reached the halfway point of the Razor Wire Crawl, and crawled even further through the seconds treacherous obstacle of the Bell of Endurance challenge. As the remaining three players who were still alive approached the end of the crawl, they felt even further success for themselves. But would it last until the ringing of the bell?

* * *

**Phew, uh, cool chapter and idiotic challenge. I've really went though a wire crawl at my camp, and it's hella scary. But it wasn't RAZOR wire. That would have killed me if it was. **

**I made the Mole a bit too obvious in this specific chapter, but only a few people would see it.  
**

**Who is the Mole? On my forums on my profile, there is a poll. It ends at the end of Episode 5. So far,**

25 percent think it's Luigi (3)

25 percent think it's Blooper (3)

25 percent think it's Toadette (3)

16 percent think it's Peach (2)

9 percent think it's Lakitu (1)

**I got a new record for the last chapter: 2 reviews! **

**And Saw 4 is coming up. Yes, I am random, and this is not a clue to the identity of the Mole. I just wanted to say so to any Saw fans out there.**

**I'll update soon, and by soon, I mean a week or two. **

* * *


	17. Narrower Choices

_**Episode 5 (Part 2)**_

Two had been left behind. Now the remaining three in the challenge of endurance were struggling, breathing heavily through the second obstacle of the challenge. Peach was the only one who was letting out occasional screams of delight and fear every few feet, but so was Lakitu, who shivered and ducked closer to the grass many times as he crawled through the clearance. Blooper, strangely, showed no signs of fear.

"Ah! Oh my god!" Peach let out for the fifth time. She grabbed onto Lakitu, who shook her off by crawling back and forth repeatedly.

"I'm more scared than you are," Lakitu reassured. "And if you don't believe me then you can shove that interesting fact up your...nose."

"Oh really?" Peach replied. "Then I guess you're good at hiding it."

"You know," Blooper said suddenly, "The Mole is very good at hiding stuff." They all turned to Lakitu in the dark, and Peach laughed. Lakitu grinned, a glint from the razor wire above the three of them glistening his face.

"Could I be the Mole?" he told them in a fake-suspicious tone. "Guess and see, guess and see. At the end you'll know who I'll be. Muahahahaha hee!"

"That was a pathetic rhyme," retorted Blooper. Lakitu faced him.

"Oh, whatever the hell you say. Let's just finish this." Blooper rolled his eyes as they saw the opening of the razor wire bed, inching its way towards them. Although in reality the three players were the ones who were proceeding towards the light, the illusion was too stunning for their eyes. At last, the exit reached them. Lakitu immediately started to jump up and down with relief as he stood up.

"My...eyes!" Lakitu shouted, rubbing them continuously. "I can finally see! So...damn bright!" Peach and Blooper couldn't have agreed anymore. The other two stared blankly back behind them at the razor wire obstacle, and all the way at the other end, they spotted the legs of Toadette which were hanging out of the entrance.

"Guys, I'm not kidding," Blooper said with false panic. "She's dead! She passed away!" He started chuckling.

"Oh, you moron!" Peach stuttered, smacking him lightly with her hand. "You, you left her there when she needed you. She's not going to die, so shut up."

"We only crawled that far?" Lakitu looked at the obstacle in realization.

"We're still not that far anymore," Peach said. She pointed towards the bell tower, which was no more than a fourth of a mile away. But something before that, situated an eighth mile away from their spot, took the notice of their eyes instead. There was a metal wall-like fence that went up fifteen feet, and on both sides were even taller brick walls, designed to prevent anyone from walking around the metal climbing obstacle. It was the third obstacle, and they remembered exactly how McHallyboo had called it; the Wall of Electricity.

_Flashback **McHallyboo**:_ _"You will then climb the The Wall of Electricity." "The Wall of Electricity." "Wall of Electricity."_

_Flashback McHallyboo in extreme slow motion_: _"Weeeeeooooaal----oooooooovvvvve----eeeeelllliictreeeeessitt----eeeeeeeeeeeeuuh."_

"Didn't he call that the wall of electricity or something?" Peach asked. "Cause if it is, then I'm scared now." Lakitu's mouth was dropped in disbelief, but not because of the wall.

"You have no time to ponder such questions," Blooper told her. "Let's run!" Although there was no timer to the Endurance challenge, they ran anyways towards the wall as if time was slowly melting away. Lakitu still had a displayed look of disbelief.

"No, stop," he ordered. "They put more machines." Through the feet of grassy terrain that lay between them and the electric wall were situated Zb Junes scattered in designated spots. All were alert, moving their pointers randomly from place to place. All thirty tranquilizer machines were waiting for the slightest movement to come into their view.

"I'm going to faint," Peach said, her voice quivering. She suddenly laughed.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Blooper asked her.

"Because this is so exciting and dangerous," she said with a grin. "The thought of being struck with a needle at any second when you don't want to...wow!" Lakitu stared at her for a long, confused time.

Lakitu: _Peach is such a strange person. No additional comments are needed, I just said it. Peach is a strange girl._

"I didn't know we were going to have to face fifty of these," Lakitu said in surprise. "This game frightens me to the maximum now."

"Liar," Peach told him. "You're just pretending to be scared. You jumped into that moat before any of us would even dare to do it. And you ran across the first one tranquilizer machine."

"One," Lakitu repeated. "Look ahead of us and tell me what you see."

"Let us just quit now," Blooper suggested. "I think our safety is more important than money." The other two players looked at him momentarily.

"If we run," Peach suggested, "Then we'll make it without getting shot."

"I'm just wondering how much we _do_ have to run," Blooper wondered. "About, let's see...one hundred yards?" Lakitu didn't care though; he was ready to set off across the terrain any second. Peach watched him, and got ready too. They had to run fast, and safely to the other side. Machines and danger was literally placed in every section.

"Do we run directly forwards?" Peach said quietly. Lakitu gulped.

"Just...RUN!"

Lakitu darted off in a flash, and Peach and Blooper rushed right behind him, their arms flapping around as they didn't bother to look where they were heading. An array of needles flew through the air with a striking, immense sound, and Lakitu and Peach screamed with terror. The needles were aimed right for the panicked players, but none achieved their target as the three of them dashed with fright. It seemed easier than it had looked, and success was within reach. Lakitu tripped at the end, or rather, jumped into the area of safety where the machines could not sensor him. He was panting, and he was dizzy.

"HELP!" cried Peach. Lakitu turned his head and saw Peach, feet away from him. Three darts had just shot out at that exact moment, piercing into the air inches away from Peach's torso. She shrieked. Blooper lay at her feet, a tranquilizer needle protruding from his arm.

"Peach!" he yelled. "Peach, get here where I am!"

"Blooper is down!" she cried. "He has a key...I can't find it!" She bent down frantically and searched through his pockets. Her hands came up empty.

"What!" he yelled. "Peach, come here!"

"I...where's the key! Where's the fu--ing key?!"

"RIGHT NOW! COME HERE!" Lakitu hollered. Whatever he tried to shout, Peach didn't listen. She was in direct view of five machines, but she searched Blooper's pockets even further without knowing the danger she was in the presence of.

Peach: _I was in complete panic. As soon as I saw Blooper fall down, I knew that I had to get the key from him to win at the end. But there I was, searching him over and over and seeing no key at all._

"FORGET ABOUT BLOOPER! COME HERE PEACH! HURRY!"

Finally, two needles darted through the open and stabbed into Peach's back. She screamed and fell forwards, as Lakitu watched her fall down onto the body of Blooper. He let out a deafening groan of frustration.

"NOOOOOO! No no no, stupid stupid! Damn this stupid game!" Then he decided to run back into the danger zone, to the fallen players to retrieve what he needed. In Peach's dress pocket, there was one key. He looked into the pockets of Blooper. No key could be found.

"What!" he cried. A swift sound made him roll back suddenly, in time to avoid a shooting tranquilizer. Distraught and raging with annoyance and anger, he ran back in a hurry to the safe end of the path he had been standing on a moment ago. There, in front of him, was the Wall of Electricity. Every few seconds, a blue-colored light engulfed the metal bars, and Lakitu shook his head as he stared at the last obstacle he had to face.

"I give up!" he shouted. "I give up! We give this challenge up! We lost! McHallyboo, I give up!"

**Team Pot**

_**115,000c + 0c : 115,000c **_

* * *

The bell was never rung, after five decades of silence. The five players had gone a long way through the Bell of Endurance challenge, but failed to cooperate until the end. The oppourtunity for a large gain of money had vanished. 

"Grahh!!!!" Lakitu yelled. He was pacing all over the hotel lobby, and the others sat down on the couch with mixed feelings. Those who had been tranquilized were laid to rest for thirty minutes, and were then woken up in a safe condition.

"Did you guys even make it close?" Toadette wondered, who had been shot down halfway into the challenge. "If you did, then you did a good job." Although the three players had made it near to the end of the course, none of them considered it a job well done.

"I swear, Blooper, you had no key," Peach stated for the fifth time.

"That's absurd," Blooper said in surprise. "I clearly had the key in my shirt pocket."

"You're the Mole," Luigi said out loud. "And I think you a lost the key on purpose, eh?" Blooper looked up with a stunned face.

Lakitu: _It's so suspicious how Blooper did not have the key with him, knowing that without all three keys, the challenge would have already been lost. And I'll also never forget how he had volunteered for a key so quickly for the all-important key._

"I...what...I'm...I'm not the Mole!" Blooper said back, scratching his head frantically. "How about Lakitu? He called quits before he got shot and was the one who lost the challenge for us." Lakitu shook his head.

"You had no key," Lakitu said in annoyance. "I don't get it! How could you lose the key?"

"It's, well," Blooper said quickly, "Well, it could have simply fallen out of my shirt pocket. We had to crawl through a tunnel of razor wire and that was a chance for the key to have slipped out." Toadette shook her head slightly.

Toadette: _I don't get why the others have to keep on fighting. They give others new ideas of who the Mole might be, and when it comes to the quiz, they'll be the ones knocked out._

"I didn't like this game," she admitted.

"How much money did we lose?" Luigi asked.

"I think...well, it's like thirty thousand coins," remembered Toadette. "But we tried our best, right?"

"Ooooh," groaned Luigi, realizing how much they had just lost. He slumped in his couch.

"Well, you didn't even make it past the moat so I wouldn't be complaining," Lakitu told him. Luigi frowned, realizing that he was right.

Luigi: _You can call me a weak player, because...I was the first to go down. So I am a very weak._

"And you got us really worried," Peach added. "You too, Toadette. You passed out out of nowhere." Peach playfully shoved Toadette besides her, who shoved her back even harder.

"And Peach, why did you just stay in the open area in sight?" Lakitu questioned. "I told you five times to get back where I was and all you shouted was 'I can't find a key! I can't find a key!'" Peach gave him a stunned look, as if to say that it wasn't her fault. Just then, appearing from the lobby stairs came the host, McHallyboo. He walked slowly towards the five players on the couch, without saying a word. Then, he opened his arms up.

"You guys failed," he stated.

"Like we didn't know before," Peach replied.

"During the challenge, a few mishaps occurred," he added, "And the challenge was lost as soon as Lakitu yelled out to quit. This was a very mole-ish act that had never been done before." Luigi looked at Lakitu, who gave McHallyboo a strange face.

"Well, yeah," Lakitu said. "I did quit. But it was for a reason."

"And that reason was because Blooper did not have his key with him," continued McHallyboo. "Could this have been an accident? Or perhaps, something more?" All off them turned to Blooper, who stayed motionless.

"And before I go, all was not how it had seemed," he concluded. "The razor wire had been cased by a layer of wax, and could not have harmed you in the slightest bit." The group of five suddenly erupted in shock. They laughed in disbelief and realization, all except for Toadette.

"I knew it!" Luigi exclaimed.

"How the hell could you have known that?" Lakitu asked. "You didn't even make it to the second obstacle." He laughed out loud again.

"In fact, Toadette had not been shot at all," McHallyboo told them. "She feigned it, in an attempt to chicken out." Everyone faced Toadette and laughed, as she buried her face in her hands, ashamed and chuckling.

"Toadette, I'm going to kill you," Peach shouted jokingly. "I'm never going to feel sorry for you ever again."

Toadette: _I'm so embarrassed. I faked my fall so it looked like an excuse to not go through the razor wire. But now they tell me that it was all a fake and this sucks...am I really the weakest player here?_

"And if you hadn't of guessed, the wall was not letting off electric shocks," McHallyboo concluded. "Just a bright, blue light."

Lakitu: _Ha, the reason why I had made us quit the game was because A, I only had two keys, and B, a wall that lets out volts stronger than an electric chair was blocking my way from proceeding. If I were able to go back in time, well, I would have went straight ahead. Curse the lies of McHallyboo._

"Of course, obstacles two and three would have been illegal on this show if they were actually how I described them," McHallyboo said.

"That is why I wanted to quit," Blooper told them. "I was really worried about our safety."

"Because the bell had not been rung, your oppourtunity to win 30,00 coins has vanished. Your pot now remains at 115,000 coins."

**Team Pot**

_**115,000c**_

"It looks like this episode has begun poorly for all of you," he concluded. "But for one of you, it has begun as a success. I'll see you failers later." He proceeded towards the door. It was four o'clock in the afternoon.

"Oh, and one more thing" McHallyboo said quickly. "Do you know where you guys are right now? The person with the correct answer gets an exemption."

"REALLY?" Luigi said with excitement.

"No." The other players chuckled at him.

"This town resides in the remains of Bob-omb's Battle Canyon," McHallyboo told them. "Some of you might have remembered a place called Battle Canyon years ago." Peach rolled her eyes.

"The horrible memories," she recalled. "Eight years ago, this place was a board game." The other four stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about.

"The war is over," he continued. "And now, this thriving Bob-omb town was built instead over the fused cliffs. You'll be spending the rest of the episode here. Not as pretty as the Noki Village, but still, look alive."

He simply walked out of the hotel, leaving the others by themselves.

* * *

Lakitu: _I'm just pretty mad how nobody really cooperated during the Bell game. Come on, Blooper. Do you not notice how suspicious it was when you claimed to lose the key? Something tells me it wasn't an accident. And when I saw Peach just staying in sight of the machines without moving, she seemed to be ignoring my yells. Now I have a sore throat that kills me, and we didn't even win the money for the pot._

Toadette: _I think I'm the only person here who finds it very, very peculiar how Luigi is still in this game. It's probably just me and being jealous that I was stated as the weakest player over him, but it strikes me so strangely._

Peach: _There are only five people left. I still remember the day where there were nine of us during the Cliff Springs challenge. It's also much easier now to pick who the Mole is, but, it'll also be easier for the others too. Since Birdo is gone, I'm looking at Blooper now. Throughout the Bell of Endurance challenge, he always said that he wanted to quit and give up the money._

Blooper:_ I am not the Mole, no matter what the others say. Yeah, whatever they want to think, but I lost the key by accident and that's final__. I believe it is Toadette who was suspicious. She faked fainting in the challenge._

Luigi: _I failed during this Bell challenge, but I will try to not a fail in the others! I will be strong and not weak. Tranquilizers hurt, a by the way._

* * *

Dinnertime approached. Peach and Toadette were assigned together in Room 786. Luigi and Lakitu were assigned Room 787. Strangely, and because there was an odd number of players left, Blooper was luckily assigned Room 801 individually, an entire floor above the others. 

Never before had they ever seen so many Bob-ombs. They were brought to a restaurant and were situated at a round table.

"Today's special," read Lakitu, looking at the stand in the center. "Tempura oyster."

"What's tempura?" Luigi wondered. Peach opened the menu, where a picture of shrimp tempura was visible.

"Oh yeah, japanese stuff," he realized.

"I don't know what you think," Lakitu said. "But tempura oyster sounds delicious."

"I'm so hungry," Toadette whined. "I skipped lunch today." At that exact second, a Bob-omb waiter approached them.

"Yo, I'm Spot," he said. "It's a pleasure being your waiter tonight. Okay, uh, what do you want?"

"Can we have the special for today, tempura oyster?" Peach asked.

"Sorry ma'am," he replied. "We don't have that."

"But look at this." Peach held up the sign for him to see. The waiter slowly shook his head.

"I'm guessin' we don't have any of those," the waiter told them. "Left. So pick something else and I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He took their orders, then said something to them unusual, as if he were trying to tell them a secret message.

"Sometimes it's good to lie," he told them. Then, he walked off. The five players slowly turned to each other with puzzled smiles.

"Huh?" Peach said in an amused tone, looking at the others.

"What are you looking at?" Blooper questioned. He, too, had realized the random line of the waiter.

"Did you hear him?" Toadette said in confusion. "He said something about lying, and it was really creepy." The rest laughed.

"I a think that this is a clue," Luigi said suddenly, holding the tempura oyster sign. "Didn't the a host say there were clues to watch out for in the game?"

"I think it's a clue too," Peach said in agreement. "Good eye. I think it's a fake dish."

"Oyster?" thought Toadette. "Tempura? Japanese? The clues in this game point nowhere towards the Mole."

"You know how much I hate the Mole right now?" Lakitu said suddenly. "Do you guys really want to know?" Peach sipped her water quietly.

"No, we don't want to," mumbled Luigi.

"Go on," said Peach, smiling.

"I would never, ever speak to the Mole again and want him, or her, thrown into jail for causing us all pain and torturous humiliation." The other players burst into laughter.

"Lakitu, you have a strange mind," Toadette realized.

"Look at Peach," Lakitu replied. "You should have heard what she said during the challenge this morning. Ha! Calling me strange." Peach leaned against the table, smiling.

"I wouldn't hate the Mole forever," Toadette said. "I, personally, and being a girl, will only like the Mole once the game show is over."

"I'd hate him forever," Lakitu stated.

"Not to a change the subject, guys," Luigi said, spotting a piece of paper in the middle of the table, "but I think there's a ghost here." Excluding one of the players, all were in complete surprise at the suddenly-appearing note.

"Where did that come from?" Blooper wondered out loud, reaching across the table to turn the sheet of paper over. Five words were seen:

_What is your worst fear?_

**

* * *

Ok, so who is the MOLE? To be honest, I have not yet chosen who the Mole is. **

I'm just kidding. But you can vote in my forums link of who _you_ think the Mole is.

Don't forget to watch out for hidden clues. And what did Spot the waiter mean in his secret message? In the next challenge, joy and terror is combined into one. And if you feel like it...

There's something about reviews that I want to say, but...I won't.


	18. A Relative Thought

**_Episode 5 (Part 3)_**

"Boo!" Peach shrieked and covered her mouth. Blooper stumbled sideways in surprise. McHallyboo had startled them in the middle of the restaurant, and the diners around them turned around to see what was happening.

"Go, keep on eating," McHallyboo said out loud. The Bob-ombs dining at the other tables did so with confusion. In fact, each diner was personally told before entering the restaurant that a game show would be taking place in the surrounding area.

"I don't like that!" Peach said in a whiny voice. "I hate being scared."

"Sorry," he replied. "I just wanted to say that you have an assignment to do. See that piece of paper? Here, have a pen." Blooper immediately grabbed the pen from him.

"On the other side, put each of your five names and your worst fears next to it," he instructed. "Or something that you despise or can't stand."

"I have a fear of the Mole," Lakitu said.

"You must be honest with your answers," McHallyboo continued. "And don't be embarrassed by revealing what your biggest fear is, whether it be ghosts or spoiled milk. Once you're done, give it to me." He left as quickly as he had appeared.

"Sometimes McHallyboo can be so funny," commented Toadette. "What's he trying to do with us now?"

"What are you afraid of?" Blooper questioned. He wrote Toadette's name below his.

"Well, if you ask me first," she replied, "Spiders are just so creepy. They have eight legs, when you're supposed to only have two."

_Toadette Spider_

"Me too!" Peach said in agreement. "Write my name down and put the same thing."

"You can't put the same thing down," Blooper told her. She looked at him strangely.

"And how do you know this?" she asked. Blooper only shrugged, and wrote down spider besides Peach's name.

"No, change it to snakes," Peach said quickly. "Snakes are much scarier."

Lakitu _Out of nowhere, Blooper says that choosing the same fear is not allowed._

Blooper: _I guess I slipped something out by accident. But it was just my way of taking control of the group, because I rarely get to do so at all. I believe that by saying things, I can take further control as a player._

_Peach Snakes_

"I'll go next," Lakitu said. "When I was little, we lit these firecrackers in our backyard in the summer. Okay? So we're doing it, and just, suddenly, without warning, it went off in my hand for no damn reason and then my hand is on fire." Luigi burst out laughing in the middle of his water drinking.

"It's not funny!" Lakitu argued. The others laughed.

"Lakitu, you're afraid of fireworks," Peach repeated. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Ever since that incident," Lakitu continued, "I've never even been near fireworks or firecrackers, for as long as I could remember."

"Wow," Luigi said. "That must really stink."

"No kidding."

"Is that your fear?" Blooper questioned. "Fireworks?" Lakitu nodded.

_Lakitu Fireworks_

"I can go for Luigi," Peach said, looking at him. "Write the dark. He's petrified of it."

_Luigi Dark_

"Why are you the one writing and not us?" Toadette said suddenly. She reached across the table, but he pulled it away.

"No," Blooper replied. "Mine." Next to his name, he wrote a word that confused all the other players simultaneously.

_Blooper Gold_

"Are you kidding me?" Toadette said in surprise. "Gold?! What kind of person are you?"

"Guys, I find it really fishy that they're asking for our worst fears," Peach told them. "Isn't that kind of, I don't know, personal?" She chuckled.

"Me too," said Luigi in agreement. "I a think it is suspicious."

"You think everything is suspicious," Blooper pointed out, twirling the "Tempura Oyster" sign with his tentacle. He immediately gave the paper and pen to Peach and proceeded to eat his food. McHallyboo came back a minute later.

"Thank you," he said quietly, grabbing the items from her. "Let's see...all five players are here, along with their most despised fears. Thank you for cooperating. I hope you players will all have a pleasant meal and a pleasant night tonight, now that I have your personal info written down and in my possession." He folded the paper in half and stuffed it rudely into his coat pocket, then headed away for the last time.

"I swear, McHallyboo can make me laugh," Toadette said, chuckling.

"I don't feel like laughing at all," Lakitu said, shoving a spoonful of cabbage into his mouth. "I'm still mad over that Bell challenge. It was the Mole's fault."

"Peach," Blooper said, without looking up from his plate. "She's a girl."

"I'm a girl too," Toadette pointed out. "Are you being sexist against us?"

"I also think Luigi is the Mole," he explained. "And he's not a girl. But basically I just don't like her." Luigi looked at him in surprise.

"Peach is not the Mole!" he exclaimed. "I'm sure of it, and you're wrong."

"Could you be the Mole, Luigi?" Luigi went straight back to his eating.

Luigi:_ No! I can not be the Mole! I promise to everyone watching on TV that I am not the Mole. Why would people say that? I'm too weak to be the Mole. And if I were the Mole, I would be a stronger person and act like a strong person too._

"What I think Blooper," Peach argued, "is that you try to blame others for being the Mole, but instead, it's your way of hiding the fact that you're being the Mole all along." Nobody said anything for a while.

"I...I'm not the Mole," Blooper said quickly.

"And of course, nobody thinks Lakitu is the Mole," Toadette said. Peach laughed, and the other two grinned. Lakitu glared at her jokingly.

Toadette: _I've never once voted for Lakitu on the execution quizzes, and I haven't been executed yet. I don't know what to conclude yet, but I'll just say that I don't think Lakitu is the Mole. Sorry, Lakitu. _

Peach: _I do not think that Luigi could be the Mole. Ever since Day one, I haven't really looked at him to be suspicious. He's just there, and he always claims to be not the Mole, and I strangely believe him._

"I don't look like the Mole because the Mole's job is to hide him or her self," Lakitu explained. "So I could be it." He silently pointed at himself, mouthing the words, 'I'm the Mole.'

"Blooper, you are so lucky to have a room by yourself," Toadette told him. "Envy. Grrr!" Blooper only continued to eat his food without bothering to look up.

"Have I ever told you that Luigi snores?" Blooper said, changing the subject. "He's a loud snorer. He's a really, really loud snorer and he's annoying. So tough luck Lakitu."

"He is?" Peach asked. "I didn't know that. Nobody ever told me."

"I've survived worse," Lakitu replied.

"Well," Luigi said, getting up from his chair. "My appetite suddenly a disappeared! I feel like going to my room now."

"We just started eating!" Peach pointed out. Luigi apparantly changed his mind and sat back down. Peach got up from her seat to wash her hands.

Unknown to any of them, the info they had just given to McHallyboo that dinner would play a crucial part in their next challenge. Had they listened to the clue the waiter had given them earlier, all would have been simpler for their upcoming game.

* * *

In Room 786, Peach and Toadette were busy unpacking their luggage. 

"Hey," Peach said, seeing a piece of paper on the drawer. She looked at it with confusion.

"It's a clue," realized Toadette. "Look at it. It's just like the one Luigi dropped off at our rooms a long time ago."

"Of course it's a clue," Peach told her. "Come on. But it's a really strange and confusing one. Do you know what it says?"

_Until you sea on first letters, add it out and make your choice, listen up scav now listen en carefull in and ger; even up you can see THE MOLE_

"The only thing I see," Peach spotted, "Is that 'see' is spelled wrong."

"'Scav' is a word I've never heard before," Toadette said, pointing. "And it says 'and ger'. Oh, maybe it's a secret message for the word 'anger'. Hey, I think I'm getting somewhere!"

"Let's focus on this later," said Peach. "That challenge this morning was a nightmare, and I'm so tired..." She yawned and fell back onto the bed.

"Well," Toadette decided, "you can sleep as much as you want, but I'm not done looking at this clue. I'll try to get any information off from this as much as I can get. Come on, help me! I'm not tired yet." Peach ignored her and went to sleep.

* * *

The same note was found in Room 787. Both Lakitu and Luigi had tried their best to find the meaning of the poetic words. 

"The last part looks as if it was taken straight out from The Odyssey," Lakitu commented, folding the paper in half. "Mumbo jumbo, dead language that won't help us and doesn't tell us SH--!"

"If you look up," Luigi read, "you can a see the Mole." Luigi looked up at the ceiling.

"I don't see the Mole," he said out loud.

"You're, an idiot Luigi," Lakitu said, pointing at him.

"Hey!" he replied. "Don't a say that to me." He opened the curtains to reveal a wide snapshot of the town they were in. It was better than Rogueport, in his opinion.

"The Mole is probably getting a kick out of this," Lakitu said, sighing. "I'm exhausted. I don't need stupid clues to help me. I already know who the Mole is." He silently pointed to himself.

"You're the Mole?" Luigi said with surprise. "But I thought that---"

"Yup," he replied. "Go to bed, plumber." He entered the bathroom before Luigi could take it.

* * *

Lakitu: _So if I were the Mole, I would try to...not let too much of your information out. I wouldn't talk to others so I could hide my identity really easily. At executions, you can relax and slack off, knowing that you can't be kicked off the show. Come on, being the Mole is easy! _

Luigi: _I have a made it this far in this game show, and I have to win. If I'm eliminated, I will be so mad. It would be a nightmare to me and a disgrace to Mario!_

Peach: _So far I haven't really gotten a solid grip on who I think is the Mole. but once the episode is over, I think I might be more confident_.

Toadette: _Sometimes I look at Peach and ask myself, could she be the Mole? Could Lakitu be the Mole too? Why are there so many questions and no answers?_

Blooper: _It's a shame. It's just a shame how gullible my opponents can be._

* * *

What the players didn't know was that the night wouldn't be filled with rest. One by one, the doorbells rang, and McHallyboo gave them a warning. 

"Who, huh, what?" Toadette said, opening the door. "Uh, McHallyboo? Hello?"

"Come down in five minutes," he told her, "or you'll be sorry." Toadette darted back into her room to wake up Peach.

"Huh...I'm sleepy!" she complained. "Let me go." Toadette brought Peach up to her feet, and they both got ready.

Luigi answered the door to Room 787.

"Wow!" he exclaimed.

"You're wide awake," McHallyboo said. "Come down in five minutes, or you'll be sorry."

"Five minutes?" Luigi replied. "That's impossible!" McHallyboo closed the door.

"Hey Lakitu," Luigi said, repeatedly shaking the bed to wake him up. "Hurry hurry."

"Was that McHallyboo?" he asked, his face still buried in his pillow.

"Yup.'

"Noooooo...damn it! Fu--! Another challenge!"

Lakitu: _When it's three o'clock in the morning, I can't think. And the only thing McHallyboo could think of is putting us in a challenge, and it ticks me off._

McHallyboo went up a floor, to the room of Blooper. He knocked, and Blooper answered it.

"Is it you?" Blooper said.

"Come down in five minutes," McHallyboo said to him.

"Very well."

* * *

It was two forty-five. Luigi and Lakitu arrived two minutes ahead of time, seeing McHallyboo and Blooper already on the couch in the lobby. 

"I was thinking you would make it," Blooper told them.

"Lakitu suddenly got the urge to get ready in our room," Luigi said. "And he did."

"Why the hell are you so awake?" Lakitu questioned.

A minute passed by, and there was still no sign of Peach and Toadette.

"If they don't come now," McHallyboo informed, "then they'll be sorry."

Five extra minutes passed. Lakitu was already sleeping on the sofa.

"I quit," Blooper said. "They're not here."

Finally, after fourteen minutes, Toadette and Peach arrived down the stairs, both looking refreshed and wide awake. Lakitu jumped to his feet and pointed to them.

"You!" he shouted. "Why??"

"Why what?" Peach said. She giggled.

"Five minutes?" Blooper said to them. "Does it ring a bell?"

"Okay," Toadette admitted. "We didn't arrive in five minutes, but we're girls so we get excused."

"Whoops," Peach said, putting her hand up to her mouth. "We're sorry. We're girls, you know. We take a long time."

McHallyboo penalizes the team 10,000 coins; 5,000 coins for each player who had not made it down to the lobby in five minutes. Lakitu is off to a bad awakening.

"Huh, thanks a lot, girls," Luigi huffed.

Lakitu: _I would have wasted 5,00 coins in exchange for a chance to take my time in getting ready. This sucks. If I were to get eliminated this episode, these kind of things would be the least of what I'll miss._

Blooper: _I'm just really suspicious of everyone around me. Luigi hasn't really been showing any signs of sabotage, but I'll just keep watching him._

They five players were brought into a degrading area; into the sewer level of the Bob-omb town. A sign was present at the top of the descending stairs:

ENTERING IS PROHIBITED.

"I'm guessing we're going to enter," Luigi guessed.

"Hold your noses," warned McHallyboo. They walked down into their thirteenth challenge.

* * *

No sewer water was present though, except for the occasional drops leaking from the ground above them. The stench continued to grow and worsen. 

"This is so nasty," Peach said with a disgusted tone. "Eww, eww, eww!"

"God, what's that smell?" Toadette shouted. Everyone coughed and laughed simultaneously. Blooper put on his cap.

"I don't feel like doing this a challenge," said Luigi. All followed McHallyboo even farther, as they walked and continued to walk for another five minutes past puddles of brown water. He didn't say a word until they reached the end; two wooden doors built into the dead end. Finally, he talked.

"Greetings," he said to them, turning around. "I'm assuming that you're all wondering why I've brought you here underground. It's because your next challenge lies here." The players listened carefully.

"You will all be facing off against another player," he explained. "All except for one of you. Two at a time you will be going through those doors." He pointed directly behind him.

"You'll each face a different room, or hallway as I should say. At the end will be a metal door, which you must find the key for and unlock. For each person who unlocks their door within one minute, you will each add 10,000 coins to the pot." The five of them looked happy at the idea, yet still uncertain as always.

"Though, there is a catch," he added. "The one who opens their door first will actually get to open it."

"And what's in the door?" Luigi asked.

"Here, I'll give you one clue as to what's on the other side." From under his jacket McHallyboo took out a piece of paper which they all recognized immediately.

"No," Lakitu said, shaking his head. "Are you serious?" It was the paper they had given him during their dinner.

"Oh my, gosh," Peach said, smiling.

Peach: _As soon as I remembered what I had written down, I was like, uh oh. This will not be pretty at all._

McHallyboo immediately took out something else; five photographs, which he simply plopped onto the floor. One of them recognized the picture on the top of the pile in a flash, quicker than the others.

"This is what will be behind the locked door," McHallyboo said firmly. "Whether facing a fear will be deserving enough or not, is, for you to decide." Toadette immediately picked up the first photograph from the pile. It was a female toad, who had blond hair instead of pigtails and a kind face that had a striking similarity to the person who was holding it.

"It's my..." Toadette started. The second photograph revealed was of a plump, round man that everyone in the room recognized. Especially Luigi.

* * *

**Ha. Haha. Tomorrow, my ass. I completely changed the upcoming challenge, thus the deletion of another chapter. **

**But if you check my profile, there is another clue you can take a look at. It's the Random Hotel Note the players had encountered. What's the hidden message to it?**

**And please vote on my forums poll before Episode 5 ends. Yeah, do so. So who's the Mole? And what really is the sewer challenge?**


	19. Fear the Rescuer

**_Episode 5 (Part 4)_**

"It's Mario!" Luigi exclaimed, picking the photograph up and looking at it while jumping in anticipation. "It's a my brother!"

"My mother," Toadette said softly, staring at the photograph she had. The third photograph was of a young, female Lakitu with, and Lakitu's mouth dropped in surprise.

"Dominique?" he said, picking up the picture.

"What is she, your sister?" Blooper questioned.

"My future queen," Lakitu replied dreamily. Peach giggled and picked up the next photograph.

"Oh my," she said, her hand to her mouth. She seemed as enthusiastic as the others seeing a photograph of an elderly lady, with gray hair and same royal attire

"My aunt Katrina," she said, smiling. The last picture was of a blooper with a moustache, and though many bloopers appeared the same, this one had an odd matching to one who was looking at it.

"Hey, my dad," said Blooper. He, too, picked up the picture and viewed it.

Blooper: _Seeing a picture of my dad sparked a feeling in me. It made me remember that I was not living my regular life right now, and that I was nowhere near home._

Lakitu: _They show us pictures of our relatives, and I see a picture of my girlfriend smiling and looking all innocent. My initial reaction is that she's beeing held hostage along with the rest of our loved ones._

"Where is she?" Lakitu asked McHallyboo. "I want to see her!" All McHallyboo did was lay five rocks on the sewer floor. The players ended their excitement and stared silently at McHallboo, who did a hand gesture as if they were supposed to choose a rock each for themselves. Lakitu picked one and turned it over. An X.

"First come, first serve," McHallyboo told them. They all grabbed for a rock, each one marked with a letter.

Toadette: **X**

Luigi: **O**

Peach: **O**

Blooper: **E**

"This is how the challenge will go," started McHallyboo. "This is the Relatives Rescue. It offers a chance for you to meet with your loved ones until tomorrow, or rather, today's night." The players exchanged excited glances, and Luigi jumped up and down with delight.

"But not all of you will be able to do so," he added. The faces immediately dropped into confused stares.

"You will be facing head to head against another player," he explained, "and you will both enter into one of these doors simultaneously. There is a key that is used for unlocking the door at the end. If you find it, and if you are the first to unlock the door, the door will open and you will see your loved one. The second player will unlock the door, but would not be able to open it. This challenge will test both your willingness and determination." McHallyboo looked at the disappointed faces of the players. He smiled.

Toadette: _As soon as I realized that not all of us would be able to see our relatives, my heart just sank._

"However, for every one of you that succeeds in unlocking your door within one minute, it will add ten thousand coins to the pot. Any questions?" Nobody said a word.

"Lakitu and Toadette; you're both up. The others, please go through that door." A camera man brought Luigi, Blooper, and Peach into a separate door on the side, where various monitors were present. Lakitu and Toadette were directed to stand directly in front of the doors they were to enter, and they looked at each other. Pasted on their doors was a picture of their loved ones.

"This is hideous," Toadette said quietly, looking straight at him. "This is a hideous challenge."

"I agree with you," Lakitu admitted.

Lakitu: _I looked at Toadette, and I see tears already forming in her eyes. I want to see my girlfriend again, no doubt. So it just doesn't make sense how this challenge would work out.  
_

"I can't believe this is the challenge," Toadette told him. "Who would ever think of this kind of game?"

Ten minutes passed by. Lakitu and Toadette stood side by side, not saying anything to each other until McHallyboo appeared. He looked at his clock, then looked at them.

"Remember," he said. "Each unlocked door before on minute is worth 10,000 coins. Also take into mind that only the first to unlock their door will actually get to see their loved one." Lakitu looked at Toadette, who was trembling and fixing her pigtails. He discovered himself that he was also trembling.

"On you mark," McHallyboo began. Both of them got ready.

"Get set...GO!"

* * *

The three non-participating players watched on the monitor screens. On one, the hallway of Lakitu. On the other, the hallway of Toadette. 

"Come on," Peach said. "I really want both of them to win. Especially Toadette."

"I want to see Lakitu's girlfriend," Blooper told them. "He told me that he's obsessed with her." In Lakitu's hallway, white sparks.

* * *

"Damn it!" he shouted. A sprinkler on the floor was sending small sparks horizontally across his path. He ducked and ran across, yelling as the harmless sparks touched his body. On both sides of him, firecrackers hanging from the ceiling were shooting in all directions. He covered his mouth at the excessive smoke, and feet away from him lay a cardboard box. 

Lakitu: _The room was crazy. I inhaled so much smoke and I was just running my ass away from any of the sparking objects. I was afraid that one of the sparks would fly into my throat, and...I would choke and die. The thing was, I didn't get burned at all, and then I saw the key in a box and I knew I was going to beat Toadette.  
_

Toadette's hallway wasn't as chaotic. She nervously stepped her way into the center, where a single glass tube on a table was present. Toadette gasped and stepped back.

"Eww," she said nervously. A key was taped to the other side of the glass container. In order to retrieve it, her hand would be forced to push past the spiderwebs and three tarantulas that had littered the inside of the tube. She shook her hand in fright and looked at the locked door at the end.

Toadette:_ I can't even look at a spider, and here they were, expecting me to be some stupid macho player and stick my hand into a spiderweb with large spiders. I would have done anything to go back in time and change my fear on that piece of paper, because apparantly Blooper discovered the meaning and wrote 'gold', and I was enough of an idiot to write down what I actually feared._

Toadette squealed, sticking a finger into the hole to touch the spiderweb. She immediately pulled it back.

Lakitu approached the cardboard box and looked inside. A firecracker toy was wildly maneuvering its way around, violently shooting sparks around as the key lay in the center. Lakitu grimaced and let out a yell as he quickly grabbed the key, feeling a split second of fire. He had it in his hand.

"Yes!" he shouted. "Yes, yes yes!" The other half of the hallway was completely empty, and Lakitu ran quickly to the end with the all-important key of success.

Toadette looked at the glass tube again. The spiders were attempting to crawl out, but were unable to due to the heavy layers of spiderwebs. Toadette fell to the floor in distress.

Lakitu opened his door, the timer down to ten seconds.

* * *

"Ooooooh," Luigi said with surprise. "I think we have a winner." On another monitor, Lakitu was happily hugging his girlfriend as they celebrated together. Next to it was a monitor which displayed Toadette's mother, waiting patiently and straightening her dress. Peach looked hurt.

* * *

Lakitu, Dominique, and Toadette were brought back to the entrance, along with the three others. Dominique gave Lakitu a huge kiss in front of everybody, and McHallyboo took out a hanker chief and dabbed his eyes. 

"They're so sweet together," he said happily. Everyone laughed.

"Since Toadette failed to unlock her door within the minute, the pot only receives 10,000 coins," McHallyboo added.

"Is it necessary to speak like that about me?" Toadette snapped. She had sunglasses on, but everyone could tell that she was crying. Toadette walked off to the other end of the sewer with Peach.

"I'm pissed off," she whispered, walking away from the others.

"Ahem," Luigi said awkwardly. "I...think I'm a next. Oh dear." He looked at Toadette.

"Go entertain Luigi and Blooper," Lakitu told Dominique. "Just for a second." He walked over to Toadette, who paced around the dim area with Peach's arms around her.

Peach:_ I hated this as much as Toadette. I mean, I don't blame Lakitu. But I hate to see her cry, and this was the most rational moment to do so._

Blooper: _I really don't mean to be rude, or a bastard or anything, but...I think Toadette shouldn't cry just because she's unable to see her mom. If I wasn't able to see my dad, I would just shake the fact off and forget about it._

"Hey, Toadette," Lakitu started. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's not your fault," Toadette said, her crying decreasing. "I told you, it was a hideous challenge." She took off her sunglasses.

Lakitu: _A part of me wanted to cry too, but then that would have looked just plain stupid. So, you know, it's a game, and if Toadette felt hurt by it then she knows that it wasn't her fault. I like Toadette._

"I know it was hideous!" Lakitu said with agreement. "And I hated it! It sucked. But that's how the game goes, and some things are just unfair and, cruel on this show."

"I know," she said quietly. She continued to sob, and Peach asked McHallyboo for Toadette's permission to go back to the hotel. After confirming that Toadette had no more to participate in the challenge, Toadette was brought back by the producers.

Toadette: _Crying doesn't get you anywhere, and I knew that but I couldn't control it. I was hurt about how they brought my mother here just to see me and that I blew my chances. It gets right under my skin how they would have allowed such a game to be on this show._

* * *

Luigi and Peach were next. They stood in front of the doors with the photos of their loved ones attached to the front. Luigi was nervously tapping his fingers against the side of the sewer wall, looking at the picture of his shorter, yet older, brother. 

"May the best player win," Luigi said, grinning and sticking out his hand. Peach grinned back and shook his.

Peach: _If I won't see my aunt...well, I'll be sad. I know this will sound mean, but then I'd get to see Mario, and that's just as good. _

Luigi: _I'm a stronger person now, because I've survived past four episodes of this game. I can rescue my brother, no matter what darkness has to do with this. Dark, you shall be beaten! I've made it to the final five, and I won't fall victim to anyone._

"I can face snakes," Peach said confidently. "I'll get the key first."

"Oh no you won't!"

"On you mark," McHallyboo began. Both of them got ready.

"Get set...GO!"

* * *

Peach entered her hallway and spotted the shallow pit in the middle. She smiled and covered her mouth with disbelief. A large anaconda was seen, slithering around the indent in the floor. The key was attached to its end. 

Luigi saw nothing. The hallway was pitch black, and Luigi immediately stuck his hands out in front of him like a blind person as a navigationing device.

Luigi: _The door behind me closes before I realize that there's no a light at all on the other side. I'm petrified of the dark, but at a that moment, something miraculous happened. I wasn't scared, and that a blew my mind away._

"Come on, big boy," Peach shouted, stepping towards the snake. It slithered away from her, and Peach tiptoed closer. When it turned around and eyed her, Peach shrieked with delight and stepped out of the circle.

Peach: _I'm a foot away from this snake, and there's a key taped to its tail that I have to get, and I'm saying to myself, 'I can do this!' But at the same time I'm jumping away from it and I don't want to get the key._

"I see you," Luigi said out loud, closing his own eyes and wandering across the hallway. The key was hanging in the air, strung around a string from the ceiling. Luigi felt it and continued to pull it down. It didn't come off.

"I'm doing it," he said to himself. "I'm doing it! Mario, I'm coming!" He tugged even more.

Peach shrieked and ran up to the snake, who was paying no attention to her at the second she attempted to retrieve the key.. She tore the key off from the snake as the animal hissed violently, causing Peach to scream the rest of the way down to the door.

With all his strength, Luigi pulled off the key from the string and continued forwards. He walked and walked until he found the metal door at the end of the dark hall. For ten seconds he struggled to open the single lock, fumbling around and finally opening it after a wasted period of time. Peach had already opened her door first.

Luigi: _Darn! If only the light had a been on, cause I definitely got the key before Peach did. I had mixed feelings going through me once I realized that my door didn't a open._

* * *

"Peach, and Luigi," McHallyboo said. "You both unlocked your doors within one minute; Peach, in fifty two seconds, and Luigi, in a dramatic fifty seven seconds, so you have successfully added both sides of the ten thousand coins into the pot." They high-fived each other, and Peach hugged her aunt. Luigi looked down at the ground and grinned. 

"And Aunt Katrina," Peach told her. "You know Luigi, right? Well, he's unable to see his loved one, so just take that into realization."

"Oh sweetie, I know," Peach's aunt said to Luigi. "And I know that your brother is just as proud of you as I am of my niece." Luigi shrugged and smiled.

Luigi: _I feel that I'm a much stronger person now. I faced dark! Looking back at how I a traveled through that dark hall all by myself, I can't believe it.. and though I didn't see Mario, I still can tell him what I did. But once I get to a seem him again.. With the money in my hand after I discover who the Mole is._

Lakitu: _Knowing that Luigi went through a hallway of nothing but pitch black raises some suspicion. I mean, I know who Luigi is, and others do to. He would never do such a damn thing like that, ever. Maybe it was the money and Mario that motivated him, but I'm still considering it._

"Blooper," McHallyboo said, picking up his stone with the 'E' imprinted on the bottom. "This is your chance to win an exemption." Peach, Luigi, and Lakitu all looked at him with wide eyes.

"At this stage, an exemption is crucial," he explained. "Since you have no other person left to face, you must face your fear on your own. If you decide to open the door within one minute, you will see your dad for until tomorrow night along with the others. However, there's the other way that you can go. If you refuse to open the door within a minute, you will win an exemption to the next round, but not only that, you will win back the ten thousand coins that had been lost in this challenge." Blooper nodded slowly and faced the others.

Peach: _I'm just so baffled and, what should I say, gloomed, that I haven't yet been offered to get an exemption. Toadette and Luigi have each gotten one. Lakitu got one but lost it. Now Blooper is being offered one right now, and I'm so desperate now because I'm the only one left who hasn't gotten an advantage over the others._

"So it's either see my loved one," Blooper repeated, "or add ten thousand into the pot and get my exemption."

Ten minutes passed by. Lakitu's girlfriend, though, made the time for the players fly and kept them at an over-entertained level. The next ten minutes was full of laughter.

Blooper: _This lady of Lakitu's is a real talker. I mean, she's tells us all about her life and we're laughing our asses off at every sentence she says._

"And so suddenly," Dominique continued, "Lakitu just starts doing it in the middle of the street, and everyone is there to see him and thinks he's some mentally handicapped fellow with a distorted mind, who's trying his best to turn people on. He didn't even bother to block up, I mean, he's purposely exposing himself to everyone and trying to make the people on the street find him sexually desirable!" Lakitu buried his head in his hands, dying from embarrassment as everyone burst into laughter. McHallyboo continued to display his shocked look of innocence.

Peach: _She told us this story where Lakitu decided to urinate in public...what the hell, it was hilarious. She needs to be a comedienne at my party._

Lakitu: _Okay, she really stretched out that story. Number one, there weren't that many people on the street when I did it. Second, I wasn't trying to be sexually attractive or trying to turn other people on. I swear, it was a desperate act that I didn't want to do. Oy vey..._

* * *

The hallway of Blooper's was ready. As the others went into the side door to look on with the monitors, Blooper faced the door with a picture of his father pasted to the front. Below it was the message, "_Is a sacrifice worth a sacrifice_?" 

"Are you ready?" McHallyboo said. Blooper didn't say anything.

"Go!"

He opened the door and found gold. An entire layer of gold created a three-foot fence that Blooper had to climb over, with a key placed on the top of it. He grabbed the key with ease and faced the other end of the hall, with the door. Unlocking the door would reunite him with his father. Staying where he was for fifty seconds would guarantee a free pass to the second-to-last episode. As the other players looked at Blooper on the screen, they saw him hesitate momentarily.

"He'll a do it," Luigi said.

"If he's the Mole," Peach stated, "then an exemption would be useless for him."

"If he isn't," Lakitu said, "then he's really struggling here instead of pretending to hesitate."

Blooper walked confidently up to the metal door, unlocked it, and swung it open.

* * *

Blooper and his dad appeared in front of the other three as they clapped cheerfully. Blooper had given up the money, and at the same time, his guarantee to to a free pass. 

"As valuable as an exemption may seem," he told them, "it's almost worthless compared to spending time with a loved one; my own father." They all nodded, and McHallyboo cleared his throat.

"You've turned down your exemption and the money, but none the less, the pot now stands at a large amount of one hundred and thirty five thousand coins," he concluded. All the loved ones were struck with a spell of silence.

"Holy mackerel!" Blooper's dad exclaimed. "Son, why didn't you tell me this?!"

"Cause it was against the rules?" Blooper replied.

"Oh my gosh!" Lakitu's girlfriend squealed, hugging him. "I love you Lakitu! Even if you don't win the money, it won't matter, cause I'll always have you and that's already worth a million coins to me." McHallyboo let out an awkward 'Awwwww!' exclamation that made all of them laugh.

**Team Pot**

_**135,000c**_

Blooper: _I know how valuable an exemption is. But giving up my dad to earn it would have been a really worthless act._

Peach: _I think Blooper made the morally correct choice, and made the choice according to him, but I've never imagined how someone could turn down an exemption at this desperate stage of the game. An exemption here is worth a bucket of gold, no matter the cost._

"Blooper, Peach, and Lakitu," McHallyboo continued. "Congratulations for earning your time to spend with your loved ones, which will last until tonight after the fifth execution. It's now three o'clock in the morning, so you'll probably want to go back to the hotels now and get some rest. Luigi, I'm sorry to say that you will not be able to spend time with your loved one, Mario." Luigi smiled sheepishly.

"Which brings us to Part 2," said McHallyboo. "Lakitu and Peach, you probably both feel horrible about defeating your opponent and preventing him or her from seeing their loved ones, so now you have the chance to redeem yourselves." Lakitu raised an eyebrow, and Peach clapped with joy.

"If you grab one of these," McHallyboo said, holding up two yellow cards with the word 'NEUTRALIZER' imprinted onto them, "then you will neutralize yourself for the entirety of the next episode. Once a player is neutralized, they are disqualified from gaining any exemptions until the end of the episode, and in this special and damaging case, two episodes. Once you grab a neutralizer you will be asked a question that holds the freedom to Luigi's brother, in Peach's case, and to Toadette's mom, in Lakitu's."

"So I won't be able to win any exemptions at all for the rest of the game?" Peach questioned.

"Well, technically I'm not counting the last episode," McHabllyboo told her and Lakitu. "But the last round has no exemptions available at all, so yes." Lakitu sighed deeply and put his hands behind his head.

"I don't look forward to that at all," Lakitu admitted, looking at Peach. Peach looked at Luigi, then her aunt.

"Come on, girl," Peach's aunt said. "You came here for the experience, not the money. You've already done a fine job making it this far."

Peach: _If I take the card, then I'm done. I'll forever be ostracized from the others and will never receive the chance at a second chance at the executions._

"What am I thinking?" Peach said. "Of course you're right Aunty Kat." She grinned and took a yellow card from McHallyboo. Luigi immediately began to jump up and down like an eager puppy.

"Thank you Peach!" he shouted, his shout echoing through the damp tunnel.

"You owe me a big one," Peach said, shoving him softly. "A real, real big one."

Luigi: _Peach is not the Mole. She's a too kind to be the Mole, so now I only have three people left on my list; Lakitu, Toadette, and Blooper._

Lakitu: _Peach has taken a card for Luigi, and now it's my turn to be a hero for Toadette. But it's at a cost that makes it difficult to decide. Having a neutralizer until the end will suck so badly for me. It'll put me at a huge risk._

Lakitu stayed where he was, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

Lakitu: _It was a game, and Toadette failed to be reunited with her relative. I don't see why I should play a part in her success, because at this stage, I'm playing for nobody except for myself._

* * *

**If you've ever seen the Mole U.S. then you know how cruel the relative games are. Yup, Relative Disguise and Bungee were the best games.**

**The poll on my profile will be taken down once Episode 5 ends, so vote if you have your initial opinion ready on Who is the Mole? Note that you do not have to travel all the way to my forums (its embredded in my profile, thanks to the Poll _beta_ testers). Execution 5 is approaching, though.**


	20. Mouthful of Lies

**_Episode 5 (Part 5)_**

Lakitu: _It was a game, and Toadette failed to be reunited with her relative. I don't see why I should play a part in her success, because at this stage, I'm playing for nobody except for myself. But there is that extra part that you need to play out if you're trying to win, and that's fixing your own mistakes. I beat Toadette, and now I have to fix the damage that was done. _

"I'm taking it too," Lakitu told McHallyboo, grabbing the yellow card from his hand. Everyone in the sewer turned to look at him in surprise.

"You're aware of the consequences," McHallyboo reminded him. "And you understand what this means."

"I understand completely," replied Lakitu. McHallyboo nodded slowly, and Dominique hugged Lakitu with a squeal.

"All right!" Luigi said with glea. "Now nobody will be a lonely tonight."

"Not quite," the host said quickly, pulling out two note cards from his left pocket. "Since both neutralizers were taken, Lakitu, and Peach, you both will receive questions that hold the freedom to these remaining loved ones. If you answer your question wrong, your opponent will not get to meet with their loved one, and you would also have taken the neutralizers with no positive outcome."

Lakitu: _I didn't know this would be part of it. All I wanted was Toadette to be happy, but if I screw this up, then we'll both be punched in the face._

"Oh, man!" Luigi said with disappointment. He gave Peach a worried smile as McHallyboo cleared his throat. Peach's aunt held her hand tightly as the question was asked.

"Out of all the challenges we have played," McHayllboo read, "Luigi was able to secretly break the rules of how many of them?" Aunt Katrina looked at Peach, who looked at Luigi closely. He had broken the rules on a few occasions, and Peach remembered how in their first game, Luigi had given his hat to Rawk Hawk, resulting in the loss of fifteen thousand coins and the confidence of the team.

Peach: _I thought the answer was one, but then I was immediately reminded of Birdo, and with that, I was confident in another answer. There were so many challenges we had played so far in the game, and it was making me dizzy. I still wasn't sure of the answer.  
_

"He broke rules in the Sell and Laugh and the Cliff Springs," Peach said with uncertainty. "But he also opened his tube during the Jail Challenge."

"Five...four..."

"But that wasn't part of the challenge..."

"Three...two..."

"The game didn't start yet." Peach looked at Luigi, who looked at her desperately.

"One..."

"It's two," Peach answered. "Luigi broke the rules in two of the games." All eyes were upon the lady as she waited for McHallyboo's answer.

"Errm," he said quietly. "I think...that might be correct. Oh well, here comes Mario."

Before Luigi could start jumping up and down with joy, a figure appeared from the door besides them, from the room where the monitors of the Rescue challenge were positioned. The red hatted plumber rejoiced with the green hatted plumber, and Peach clapped happily at knowing she was correct.

"It's a my brother!" Mario said in a cheerful voice. "How ya been doing, Luigi?" Luigi didn't reply, but continued to jump and down with a wide smile all while hugging Peach happily.

Lakitu: _That question really made me think about Luigi even more. He clearly broke the rules two times in our challenges so far, and I clearly remember how much money was lost on both occasions. _

"Mario, thank a Peach," Luigi told him. "If it wasn't for her you wouldn't of be here right now."

"Don't forget that Peach also sacrificed her chances in earning any more exemptions," McHallyboo added. "Mario, good to see you. Peach, a self-less act well done. Lakitu, it's up to you. If you answer this question correctly, you will free Toadette's mom and as well as complete the circle of reunions for all of you."

"I'm all ready," Lakitu replied. "Give it to me."

"Toadette is an emergency nurse," McHallyboo asked him, reading from the card. "Yet she could also be labeled something else instead. What is her other profession?" The rest of the people looked at Lakitu, who stared directly at the damp ground at his feet. He was either thinking extremely hard, or in complete perplexity.

"I believe she is also a..."

"Five...four..."

"Toadette is also a musician," Lakitu said out loud. He quickly shut his mouth as McHallyboo frowned, and he saw him start to slowly shake his head left and right.

"That's not right, is it?" Lakitu told him.

"I'm sorry," McHallyboo told him. "It's too bad that you can't win any more exemptions for the rest of the episodes. But musician is the correct answer by the way." Lakitu shouted with satisfaction and high-fived Peach, all while Dominique hugged him with delight at the correct answer.

"Omigosh, Lakitu," she said. "You're so smart!"

_Flashback __**Lakitu: **__"So what other stuff do you do?"_

_Toadette: "I don't know. Everything that everyone else does, except for playing instruments. _

_Lakitu: "Really? Specifically which?"_

_Toadette: "Instruments? Well, there's trumpet, violin, drums, and I'm the pianist in this orchestra."_

_Lakitu: "So basically you're a musician?"_

_Toadette: "Yeah! Basically."_

Toadette's mom appeared from the same door Mario had come out from. She had a warm smile on her face as she looked around, but her smile faded as she looked around the grimy area.

"Where's my daughter?" she asked McHallyboo. "Did she go somewhere?"

"We'll be back in the hotel in a jiffy," McHallyboo said, smiling.

* * *

The last player to be reunited with her loved one was in her hotel room. She sighed heavily while reading one of her favorite books, Da Yoshi Code. It was four o'clock in the morning, the earliest the players had ever been awake from all of their challenges, when a knock was heard. 

"McHallyboo," she said drearily, walking up to the door and unlocking the numerous locks that kept her and the person behind the door from immediately meeting each other. The door flung open.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, as they embraced each other.

* * *

None of the players were able to get any sleep after the challenge had ended. At eight o'clock, all ten people met at the breakfast table of the hotel, happier then usual, with McHallyboo nowhere in sight, just as always. In the middle of the table was a ripped page from a spiral notebook: a message from the Mole. 

**Through the double dash...**

**I first came complete..**

**And though I failed past my block.**

**I faced my fear.**

**-The Mole (the 12th and the 13th)**

"Huh, and who is this Mole person?" Blooper's father questioned.

"It's the whole point of the game, dad," said Blooper. "To find out who the Mole is. It's a challenge, and I believe I already know who this person is."

Blooper: _I believe that I know who the Mole is already. The answer was right in front of me, and sitting at the table. But I won't say anything yet._

"Through the double dash," Peach read. "That was the challenge we just played, with two of us running through the hallways at the same time."

"I first came complete," Luigi read. "Umm, I don't know what this means. Let's just continue eating breakfast."

"And though I failed past my block," continued Toadette. "So the Mole failed in the game we had played."

"Well, that eliminates me," Lakitu said relaxingly.

"I faced my fear," Dominique finished.

"The Mole," Mario said. "The a twelfth and the thirteenth? What does that mean? Boy, this person must really like hidden messages." Just then, McHallyboo appeared seemingly out of nowhere, not bothering to take his seat at the crowded table.

"Greetings to all of you," the host told them, as they all replied back the same. "I bet you're all tired, and I'm also willing to bet that none of you had the chance to sleep a period at all in the past four hours. But I guess the relatives make it up, no? Olivia Rytoad, anything to say?"

"Well," she started, smiling at Lakitu. "Lakitu over there took a neutralizer card in trade of answering a question in order to free me, and he got it correct. So now nobody will be lonely today, all thanks to him and his sacrifice." The others clapped.

"You did?" Toadette said. "Lakitu! I'll always remember this!"

"You still owe me one," he told her in a voice that resembled a light-hearted threat.

"And before you know it, after a momentary period of time," McHallyboo continued, "the clue is gone!" He reached over across the table and retrieved the piece of paper, signed by the Mole, before the others could take it into their own possession. Lakitu groaned.

"I've told you before that we would have a minimum of three challenges per episode," the host said with an evil grin, as the rest of the players groaned heavily, Lakitu groaning the loudest among the others.

Toadette: _As soon as I found out the reason why my mom got to see me, I felt so guilty and bad for Lakitu, but at the same time I kind of realized that I would have done the same thing. So Lakitu, I thank you a million times in my heart. I love you! Well, at least my mom does now. _

Lakitu: _Toadette! I can't win any exemptions any more, which really blows my chances of winning this game. If you win the game, you'll have to give me a share of the pot. It's not optional._

"I need two of you who are good runners," McHallyboo said, "and three of you who hate doing laundry. Twenty seconds."

"I hate laundry," Peach announced. "Join me if you do."

"Same," Blooper said, going next to Peach. "I'm a laundry person."

"I'm a good runner," Luigi said to them.

"No, Luigi," Mario told him. "You hate doing laundry over a anything else."

"I'm running then," said Lakitu.

"I'll run," said Toadette

"I guess I'm doing laundry," Luigi mumbled.

"So Peach, Blooper, and Luigi," McHallyboo said. "You three despise doing laundry, period? Follow me. Loved ones, you have nothing to do in this game, so feel free to roam anywhere you want in this Bob-omb town."

Though all the relatives remained in their chairs at the table, the three chosen players followed McHallyboo through the doors and out of the hotel, across the street, and to the local laundromat. Blooper smacked his head as the others laughed.

"Okay, guys," McHallyboo said with an exasperated sigh that made it obvious what he was going to say. "Don't you know how this game works? If you say that you hate doing something then you know that you're going to have to do it sooner or later in a challenge. Jeez, use your brains." They continued to laugh at their own stupidity.

Luigi: _Well, I knew that we were going to have to do laundry instead of something else. So I wasn't a stupid one._

"This is the Laundry Race game," McHallyboo told them. "And it's worth twenty thousand coins if this challenge turns out to be a success. Here's what you'll have to do." They walked around the corner of the store and saw a lavish amount of their clothing, dirty and piled in a heap that was as tall as one of the many washing machines in the room.

"Say hello to your laundry," said McHallyboo.

"Oh, no," Peach said, chuckling. "I quit, this is too much." McHallyboo laughed.

"It's about to get even more difficult than that," he explained. "In this case, you won't take quarters and laundry detergent as granted, like you probably did at home. You'll be asked a series of questions, and in return of every correct answer, one of you can run up to that quarter canister over there and retrieve as many quarters as you could. You only have a time limit of ten seconds for each attempt, and you can only use your mouth."

"Your what?" Luigi said in surprise.

"Your mouth," McHallyboo repeated. "Anyways, for each wrong answer that you guys give me, you subtract a quarter from your pile. Three quarters are needed for each washing machine. You must determine beforehand how many loads of laundry you will be washing. Once you begin stuffing in the clothing, you will not be able to add any more quarters into your possession." All three of them nodded.

"If you successfully wash every piece of clothing before Lakitu and Toadette are able to arrive here," the host finished, "then it's all twenty thousand coins." He pulled out a stop watch.

"No cheating," McHallyboo said, waving a finger at them as he left the laundromat. Blooper stared at him, then stared at the heap of clothes in front of him.

"So how many loads of laundry do you think this is?" he asked.

"Four, five," Luigi guessed. "So I think we'll need too get about fifteen quarters."

"I'd say six," Blooper argued.

"I think we should play it safe and get twenty quarters," Peach suggested. "You never know. But I still don't want to use my mouth to get the coins." Peach took a step towards the canister at the other side of the room, but Blooper pulled her back.

"No cheating," he told her.

* * *

McHallyboo brought the two other players to a bank, approximately a quarter a mile away from the laundromat where the first part of the game was taking place. Lakitu and Toadette followed the host into a bank. 

"I need one of you who's the better runner, and one of you who hates being in enclosed areas." Lakitu looked at Toadette, who chuckled.

"I'd rather run than be trapped," Toadette said. "But I owe you a favor, so I'll let you run. Unless you really like being in enclosed areas."

"I'll be the runner," Lakitu told McHallyboo quickly as they both chuckled. "I'm a bit claustrophobic." Toadette rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so this challenge is the Laundry Race," said McHallyboo. "I assume you're both wondering why we had chosen such a name for this game. It's because Blooper, Luigi, and Peach are in a laundromat right now, washing all of your clothes in an unlimited amount of time. What they believe is that if they finish washing the clothes before both of you arrive, twenty thousand coins would be added to the pot." They both nodded.

"But that's not what I said." Lakitu's face broke out into a grin of confusion. Toadette nodded again.

"Wait, what?" she asked.

"What the other three don't know is that if they complete their task, then you will not win twenty thousand coins," McHallyboo explained. "It's up to the both of you to stop them from doing so. Toadette, you will be placed behind this bank counter on the other side of the glass. You will be typing in answers that will free you, which will be Lakitu's job to find. Lakitu, you will have to retrieve answers from around this town and report them through this speaker to Toadette. Once Toadette types in all three answers into the computer, it is her job to find the laundromat and warn the others before it's too late. If you stop the others from completing their laundry, you will add twenty thousand coins to the pot."

"Wow," said Lakitu. "Being a runner sure does stink." Toadette was brought behind the counter of the bank through a side door in the wall, and was seated in front of a laptop displaying a recognizable screen saver image; the Mole logo thumb print.

"Take this," McHallyboo said to Lakitu as he handed him a stopwatch. "Do not begin your game until this starts to beep." With that, he exited the bank and drove all the way back to the laundromat building.

* * *

"Ready?" the host said. 

"I guess," Blooper replied..

"Question One," he said. "In the Baggage Challenge, how many bags were mislabeled?" McHallyboo pressed the stopwatch button, and the challenge began.

"Uh..." Peach began. "This is all the way back to the first day! And we're supposed to remember this, how?"

"I had the wrong bags with Rawk Hawk," Blooper remembered. "Then I think someone else had another mislabeled bag."

"Oh, Daisy," said Luigi.

"How much time do we have for each question?" Peach asked.

"As long as you want," McHallyboo told them. "There's no limit. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't hurry."

_Flashback **McHallyboo**: That is a total of three misidentified bags of belongings. Blooper and Rawk Hawk, you will both be living with each others' possessions. Daisy, I'm sorry to say that you have no bag at all. _

"I think it's three," Blooper said.

"No, wait," Luigi said suddenly. "The question is asking for how many bags were mislabeled. Daisy's carrying container was not labeled at all, as Lakitu had failed to put any name at all on her bag. So that makes it two."

"O...kay," Blooper told him. "I won't even ask how you remembered that. But never the less, I think it's two too."

"The answer is two?" Peach answered. McHallyboo nodded.

"Yay, Luigi," Peach said with a smile. "First question correct." Luigi shrugged.

"Now this is what you have to do," McHallyboo explained. "One of you will run over to that metal container on top of that washing machine and get as many quarters as you can into your mouth. Then, run back here and spit them into this bucket before ten seconds is up. If the coins don't land into this bucket when ten seconds are up, you will not be able to add any coins into your collection for that turn." The players exchanged glances.

Blooper: _So we're all looking at each other and expecting someone else to volunteer in getting the coins. Apparently, none of us wanted to._

"I'm not putting coins into my mouth," Luigi stated.

"I'm not a fan of tasting metal either," Peach said.

"Okay, I get it," Blooper told them. "I have to do all the dirty work, because I'm the 'scavenger'." Peach and Luigi laughed guiltily.

"Ready, set, go!" Blooper dashed towards the container of quarters as quickly as he could, then dunked his mouth into the heap of coins. As he tried to suck as many as he could into his mouth, he failed. He bit into two quarters and ran back with both of them in his mouth, then spit them into the bucket. The other three, including McHallyboo, cheered him.

"Bleh!" he said, spitting into the bucket itself. "What a sadistic game."

"Did you just spit into the bucket?" Peach said with disgust. "I won't be the one putting the quarters into the machines."

"This tastes worse than blood sausage," admitted Blooper. "Luigi, you're doing this next." Luigi's mouth dropped.

"Question Two: During the Acquired/Accustomed challenge, all the players were able to make their own order for the rotation of the table. Though many directions it was spun, the resulting finish could have been obtained with what single order?" The three players were in a question of confusion.

"I don't remember anything," Peach said, shrugging.

"I haven't got the faintest clue," Blooper told McHallyboo. Luigi, however, was still thinking deeply.

"No offense, but I think this question is an automatic loss," Peach realized. "I don't even remember what I had spun the table myself."

"No, I remember!" Luigi said with excitement. "It's...it's one right. I'm positive."

"We have nothing to lose," Peach said. "Go ahead and say your answer."

"Is it one right?" he asked McHallyboo. The host stared at his card for a long time, then looked at Luigi once again.

"That's correct," he said with surprise. Peach let out a squealed laugh and hugged Luigi.

"Are you kidding me?" Blooper said to McHallyboo. "Is it really?" McHallyboo nodded, having the same expression as the dumbfounded Blooper.

* * *

Lakitu's watch began to beep at the exact moment McHallyboo asked the first question for the three others. He ran up to Toadette, who was unwillingly trapped behind the glass counter and waiting for the first question to appear. 

"The watch just beeped," Lakitu told her through the speaker. "First question!" The screen saver disappeared, and the monitor displayed the first question for their part of the game.

"'Located in this town," Toadette read, speaking into the speaker that emitted her voice into the other side of the window, "is a bakery by what name?' Okay, according to the blanks that it shows under the question the answer contains two words. The first word is two letters long, and the second word is...nine letters long. The name of the bakery is the answer. Got it?"

"Got it," Lakitu said. "Two and nine. Bakery." He immediately rushed out of the bank, leaving Toadette by herself. Unknown to Lakitu, the glass was actually a one-way mirror.

"Be quick," Toadette called out futilely. "Don't mess up on the spelling, and memorize the answer exactly. I'll try to guess while you're gone...Lakitu, are you still there? Helloooo?? It's not funny, we need to hurry...okay, apparently you already left."

Toadette: _I'll just anticipate and hope that Lakitu and I will be able to succeed. If we don't, well, this shows that we're not a good team together, and I believe we are good teammates, so I want to win and show that we ARE a good team instead of showing that we AREN'T, because I know we are, and if we're a good team then we can both show how we're GOOD team mates instead of BAD ones, and that since we're all actually a team then we can show the others how WE'RE a team by ourselves, and by showing how good WE are then it'll make us a great team instead, and that---okay, I'll shut up now. _

Bob-ombs were carrying out their daily routines in the semi-crowded town. Lakitu looked down both ways of the street, wondering where to head off and in which direction. He searched for the appropriate towns person to ask.

Lakitu: _I look and see ten people in view. Then I decide to look for an elderly bob-omb who looks as if he had been living in this town for the past century. And whalah, I find the right guy, right there, standing next to a building smoking a cigarette._

"Pardon me sir," said Lakitu, "but I'm looking for a bakery around here." The old bob-omb directed Lakitu to walk straight down and it would come into view. He headed off down the street.

"Bakery, bakery," he repeated to himself. For five straight minutes he jogged down the street, passing many stores with many interesting and foreign names. But there was no bakery.

Lakitu: _All of a sudden I started to believe that the old man was a liar. A no good, dirty rotten, pig-stealing liar._

Another minute of jogging, and Lakitu discovered the importance of not getting lost. Finally, he finds a shop bread in its display window. It's the bakery of the Bob-omb town, called _La Plungeria_.

"La Plungeria," Lakitu read from above him. "Two words, two letters and nine letters. Yes!" He turned around and darted back up the street.

* * *

"I'm just surprised," Peach said to Luigi, "on how you were able to know what we did during the food game weeks ago. I didn't even remember what _I_ spun the table, so I'm just in shock." 

"It's as if you just magically came up with the right answer," Blooper said with consideration.

"I...a just remembered," Luigi said. "I kept my eyes focused on this dot on the table, and at the end it was one away from me and my seat."

Peach: _With Luigi on our side, we're definitely going to finish the laundry before Lakitu and Toadette come here. That is if he keeps on answering these questions correctly. _

"I suggest hurrying up and picking who to send over," McHallyboo told them. Blooper pointed at Luigi

"It's the plumber's turn," said Blooper, grinning. "Get ready to taste something very weird. And get as many quarters as you could." Luigi got into his running position, as McHallyboo counted off his ten second timing.

"Go!" Luigi ran to the container of quarters and dumped his face into the coins, grabbing as many as he could into his mouth. Before even half of the limited time had passed Luigi already dropped the coins into the metal bucket, with one coin missing the container and falling onto the floor instead.

"Mama!" he exclaimed, coughing into his own hand. He had retrieved five quarters, excluding the one on the ground.

"Why do we have to use our mouth?" Peach asked the host, backing away from a drooling Luigi.

"Because the Mole wanted the game to be that way," he replied. "I know, the Mole could be a sadist sometimes, but it's part of their job. So now you guys can either continue with the questions or start your laundry. You have enough money for two loads, so if you think that's enough, start washing. If not, then continue being asked."

"We're aiming for twenty quarters," said Peach.

Blooper: _Twenty quarters? Wow, Peach, that'll take forever. I suggest only fifteen, but not twenty. Unless you're the Mole and trying to make us lose time then maybe what you're trying to do seems reasonable. I know everything._

Luigi: _Though I see how I'm getting stronger in this game, it'll just get really conspicuous among a the other players, and that'll be a bit of a threat to me. I'm a trying to play a bit differently from now on, now that there are less of the others. Things aren't supposed to seem as they really are, and I hope it doesn't turn that way.  
_

"Onto Question 3," McHallyboo continued. "You are all checked into different rooms at this town's hotel. Adding all the digits that are contained in all three of your room numbers, what will you receive as the sum?"

As Lakitu ran, Toadette waited. The closer they got to solving all three answers, the closer the other three got at completing their task. At the end, it would be the Mole's job to persuade the others, a job which the Mole had already been performing for the entirety of the game: persuading others that the Mole was not them.

* * *

**To athlete, to demise.**

** That was the twentieth chapter. Gee, there was no execution, was there? I could have sworn that an execution was coming next, but I guess the game has unpredictability written all over it. So according to the poll so far, these are the public results on the _Who is the Mole_ popularity:**

**Lakitu: 12 percent  
**

**Peach: 16 percent  
**

**Toadette: 20 percent  
**

**Luigi: 24 percent  
**

**Blooper: 28 percent**

** I find it so awesome how the votes for the players went so consecutively (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). So who really is the Mole? **

* * *


	21. Race Against the Wash

**_Episode 5 (Part 6)_**

**The Laundry Race Challenge: Three players, Peach, Blooper, and Luigi, are instructed to finish washing their laundry before the other two players arrive at the laundromat. By answering questions correctly, they are allowed to transfer quarters into their possession using only their mouths. What they don't know is that if they do complete their task, no money would be added to the pot. The other two players must try and stop them in time. One player, Lakitu, would have to retrieve answers from around the town in order to free the other, Toadette. Once freed, Toadette must locate the laundromat in time and stop the other three from finishing their laundry. If she prevents the other three from finishing the washing, 20,000 coins would be added to the team pot. If, however, all laundry loads are completed before they could be stopped, the pot would receive no money. **

"If I remember correctly," Blooper said, "I'm in Room 801." Peach nodded.

"And I'm in Room 786," she remembered. "How about you, Luigi?"

"Erm, 787," Luigi said reluctantly. He eyed the clothes on the ground, then looked at the washing machine.

"Adding all the numbers up, let's see," Blooper said. "We get nine plus seven, sixteen plus eight plus six...I lost count."

"Um, I think it's a fifty two," Luigi said quickly. Peach and Blooper both looked at him.

"Correct," said McHallyboo.

"How did you add that up so fast?" Peach asked him. "I always thought math was your least favorite subject."

"I can add really fast, but that's it," Luigi replied to her. "You know, the regular adding stuff that everyone knows how to do."

Peach: _It's just so odd how Luigi can come up with these answers so quickly. Sometimes I think that he already knows the answers to these. _

With a correct answer, it was once again time to retrieve more quarters for the washing machines, and Peach was up. However, she was unwilling to do so and forced Blooper to take her place instead. With less anxiety than last time, Blooper easily retrieved five quarters from the canister and into the bucket.

"I hate you Peach," he muttered, drowning out the taste of coins from his mouth. They now had twelve quarters.

"We're going to a make it!" Luigi said happily.

* * *

Enclosed and alone, Toadette was typing in random answers to the first question. 

EL BAKERRIOI

EL BREADISMO

LA PANADERIA

However, there was something that she would have discovered if she looked closely at the objects around her, where she was sitting. A mug with pens sat next to the computer, all labeled with the company _"SHUT OFF"_. If Toadette were to press the power button of the computer and shut it off, her door would be opened automatically and she would be free to leave and warn the others ahead of time. Lakitu slammed into the door of the bank and ran in.

"Toadette!" he spoke, running up tot he glass. "Do you hear me?"

"Do you have the name?" she asked back.

"There was a bakery called, 'La Plungeria'. Type that in." Toadette click on the first blank and typed in Lakitu's answer.

"Is it 'plunger' as in the tool that plumbers use?" asked Toadette. "P-L-U-N-G-E-R-I-A?"

"Yep." Toadette typed the name into her keyboard.

L-A P-L-U-N-G-E-R-I-A

All of a sudden the monitor beeped, making Toadette jump back with surprise. The screen fizzed into a hypnotizing green, and a new question with a number two at the start of the sentence appeared instead; Question 2.

"I got it!" Toadette spoke into the microphone. "Okay, here's number two, so listen carefully. It says 'Located outside of the Bob-omb volunteer fire department is a statue, in remembrance of the hero Kaul Maury."

"Kaul Maury?" Lakitu repeated in question form. "Are you pronouncing it correctly?" Toadette rolled her eyes.

"Just ask for a fire department," she said. "Because then the question asks, 'What day did he die?' According to these blanks, you need the month, day, and year." Lakitu nodded, holding up his fingers to count of the needed information.

"Karl Maury," repeated Lakitu. "Okay, I'm going now!"

"Hurry up!" shouted Toadette. Lakitu left, slamming into the door as he exited.

* * *

"What is the birth day of the first player executed," McHallyboo read, "minus the birth day of the second player executed?" Blooper nodded his head slowly. 

"I think I remember Rawk Hawk's birthday being on...May 30," Peach said.

"I swear that it's on the 29," argued Blooper. "It's not on the thirtieth."

"May 30th is correct," Peach said confidently. "I'm right, you're wrong."

"And I a think Doopliss' birthday was on October 14," Luigi told them.

"It's the twenty ninth," Blooper grumbled.

"I conclude the answer to be 16," Peach said to McHallyboo. He shook his head.

"The correct answer is 15," the host corrected. "Doopliss was born on October 14, and Rawk Hawk was born on May 29." Blooper hissed with annoyance.

"I told you!" he shouted. "God, why didn't you listen to me?" He and Luigi looked at her.

"I didn't know," Peach said meekly. The cost was a quarter from the bucket, leaving eleven left in the container. Additionally, they were given a three minute delay until the next question.

Blooper: _Peach could well be the Mole. I told her that the answer was May 29, but she didn't listen to me._

"Ready for Question 5?" They all nodded.

"What was the occupation of the third player executed?" Luigi jumped up, literally, with the answer.

"Hair salon owner!" he exclaimed. McHallyboo chuckled.

"That's incorrect. Nah, only kidding. It's time to get more quarters." This time, Luigi was sent, and he was twice as fast as he was before. Grabbing a mouthful of quarters into his mouth he ran back and spat them into the metal bucket. They now had seventeen.

"Yes!" Luigi said. "Let's start the laundry!"

"We're aiming for twenty quarters," Peach reminded them. "Better safe than sorry." Blooper shook his head as they continued to their next question.

"How many washing machines are in this room?" McHallyboo asked them for their sixth question. "Oh, and I want to tell you one more thing. You cannot move from the spot you're in, right this second, or this question will be lost. Got it? Blooper, no cheating." The three players all planted their feet into the ground and looked around, craning their necks in the attempt to catch all their machines in view.

* * *

"Hello," Lakitu said to an elderly Bob-omb lady that was about to enter into a restaurant. "Can you tell me where the fire department is?" 

"Why are you asking me?" she questioned. She stepped away from him and entered the building, leaving Lakitu helpless and by himself.

Lakitu: _Oh my, I'm an old lady! Hum!_ _You ask me a question? Impostrous! Why are you asking me? I'm just a spoiled, Bob-omb old hag lady who has nothing to do but eat all day and tell people to screw off. _

Lakitu asked three more people, but all replied negatively. Finally, after six minutes, he spotted a bulletin map in the center of the town. Located just around the corner of where he was standing was the fire department, and he continued to walk until he reached it. The building was larger than any other building in the town, but what made it stand out even more was the petite garden that stood in front of it, with the statue of Kaul Maury placed in the center. He leaned as far as he could, over the flowers, to take a glimpse at the epitaph:

**Through sacrifice he contemplated**

**To set his soul emancipated.**

**Lies KAUL MAURY;**

**A true defining of heroism and altruism**

**parted December 28, 1969.**

* * *

"Thirty four machines!" 

"Is that your final answer?" McHallyboo asked.

"No!" Luigi said suddenly. "Erm, I could have promised that a...there are thirty six. There were two at the entrance." Peach looked at him then looked at the host.

"I believe Luigi," Peach said. "Thirty six." McHallyboo nodded with a strange look on his face.

"Correct again," he said. Peach and Luigi hugged each other, and Blooper secretly mumbled something under his breath that nobody else could hear.

"Okay," said Peach. "Since this is our last time at getting quarters, I'll think it's only fair that I get this time." Blooper nodded reluctantly, and Peach ran at the start of McHallyboo's ten-second countdown. With a wide mouth she stuck her teeth into the quarter container and grabbed a mouthful before running back, dropping two quarters along the way. Three made it into the bucket.

"You suck!" Blooper couldn't help saying. Peach wiped her tongue on her sleeve and hit Blooper.

"I got three quarters on my first try," she said, continuously wiping her tongue on a napkin she had picked up. "You only got two, so there! You're the one who sucks."

"And I think we can start the laundry now!" Luigi realized. "Come on, let's go!"

"Hey, just a second," said the host. "Once who start loading the clothes into the machines you cannot answer any more questions. I would double check if you have enough quarters." The three players quickly decided that they indeed had enough, and opened the doors of the washing machines to stuff in their clothes.

"Eww," Peach said, letting go of a pile of clothes in her hands. "Something's wet! Eeeww!" Luigi and Blooper backed away from her and laughed

Peach: _I made the other two put all the clothes in. Socks, wet clothes, and undergarments, and all this clothing that belonged to everyone else that I didn't want to see. _

"This isn't what I think it is, is it?" Luigi said silently, holding up a pair of jeans in the air. Everyone including McHallyboo burst into laughter.

"That was from that Bell game," Peach said, her eyes rolling at Luigi's stupidity. "You know, when we had to crawl across this dirt-mud ground under 'dangerous' razor wire." They finished stuffing the lavish amounts of clothing into the washing machines, and discovered that they had retrieved more quarters that they needed to. Using five machines, they used fifteen quarters. McHallyboo gave them the laundry detergent (for free) and the washing began.

**32 minutes left**

"Look," the host said, pointing at number of minutes displayed on every one of the five machines. "Thirty two. That's a clue, to start your day."

"We already saw enough clues for this episode," Luigi pointed out. "One in the rooms and one on the table this morning." The host ignored him and started to walk away.

"The rest is up to you," he said, heading towards the entrance of the laundromat. "Remember what you have to do." The host left the three players to themselves. The rest of the task was in their hands.

"Well, we have thirty two minutes to wait," said Peach. "Which is also is a bad thing. We need to finish before Toadette and Lakitu come here."

"I think that Lakitu and Toadette are up to no good," Blooper told the others. "They're probably scheming something behind our backs all this time. But what puzzles me is why they want to arrive here and make us lose."

"Maybe," said Luigi, "they'll win exemptions if they do." Peach nodded slowly and looked at him, and so did Blooper.

"I think that they don't know," Peach thought.

* * *

Five minutes passed. Lakitu took longer to find his way back to the bank than he had taken locating the statue. 

"You have it?" said Toadette.

"Yup," spoke Lakitu. "Karl Maury died on December 28, 196...5."

Toadette quickly typed in the answer to the second question, making sure that the answer fit perfectly into the blanks.

D-E-C-E-M-B-E-R 2-8 -1-9-6-5

"It fits, but I hope it's correct," she replied, pressing the "Enter" button on the keyboard. Nothing happened for a moment of time, until the screen flashed red and the letters vanished. Toadette sat still.

"It didn't work," she told him. "The page just turned red and reset."

"Must be a glitch," Lakitu said. "Type it in again." Slower than before, Toadette typed in her answer.

D-E-C-E-M-B-E-R 2-8 -1-9-6-5

"Argh, the screen turned red again," she said. "Are you sure that's right?"

"I'm positive," Lakitu said confidently. "December 28, 1965. That's what it said on the statue." But in fact, he was wrong.

_**Lies KAUL MAURY;**_

_**A true defining of heroism and altruism**_

_**parted December 28, 1969.**_

"Third time's the charm," said Toadette slowly. For the third time she typed in the same exact answer. The screen turned red.

"Okay, that is definitely not the right answer," Toadette said with annoyance. "You aren't positive, are you? Come on, admit it." Lakitu paused for a bit.

"Fine, okay, I don't know about the last two digits," he admitted. "Wait, I'm sure it started with 196, but then there's another number that I forgot. Try it out, try guessing." Toadette typed in the same answer with the last blank empty.

"How about 1964?" she guessed, typing it in. She pressed "Enter", but the screen flashed red.

"1966," said Lakitu. Toadette tried it for the answer, but it too failed.

1-9-6-7: RED

1-9-6-8: RED

1-9-6-9

The monitor beeped and fizzled into a green color, then back to normal. On the screen was the third and last question for their part of the game.

"Finally!" Toadette said with relief. "Last question, and we need to hurry. Here, listen to this: 'The town has a motto. What is the motto?' There are lots of blanks for the answer so remember it carefully." Lakitu nodded and left the bank.

_Toadette: __I thought it was really odd how Lakitu didn't remember the right answer, after being so confident of what the date was. But even I'm forgetful sometimes so it's probably just a mistake.  
_

* * *

"Okay, I've pretty much narrowed it down on who the Mole is," Blooper said to the two other players. "Take this as a piece of advice, Peach. Luigi could be your suspect." Luigi looked dumbstruck, and then laughed 

"Why would you a think...I'm the Mole?" he said in amusement. "I can't be the Mole! It's impossible."

"If you _weren't_ the Mole," Blooper pointed out to him, "then wouldn't you want people to think you were it? Why are you denying it then?"

"Umm, I like telling the truth," Luigi finished. "Peach doesn't think I'm the Mole, right?"

"I don't think so," said Peach. "I think it's someone else. You know also, Blooper, the Mole is very prone to accusing others a lot." He didn't reply back.

"We have 26 minutes until we win," Luigi said. "We a just need to hope they don't come."

* * *

"Motto, motto," Lakitu repeated. Once he had exited the bank he walked around the corner of the block. 

Lakitu: _I'm walking around the corner and I see that same exact old bob-omb that gave me the answer to that first question. I knew who to ask. If he didn't know the motto of this town then that means nobody else did. _

"Hey, it's me again," Lakitu said with a light laugh. The elderly Bob-omb stared at him with wide eyes, as if he had never seen Lakitu before.

Lakitu: _It turns out that a lot of bob-ombs look alike, and that it WASN'T the same guy as before. I should have known that._

"I'm on this quest," told Lakitu, "and I need to know what the motto of this town is." The bob-omb wrinkled his eyebrows and spoke.

"Scum up the hot effort," he said in a grand voice. "Scum up the hot effort. You shan't forget it, lad."

"Thank you SIR," Lakitu said, jogging back from where he came from with a satisfied grin. Just a mere thirty seconds later Toadette heard Lakitu entering the bank.

"Already?" she said with surprise. "Tell me the answer, tell me."

"There was this old guy," Lakitu told her, "who says that the motto is...'Scum up the hot effort'". Toadette began to type in the answer, discovering that every blank for the final answer was filled up completely.

S-C-U-M U-P T-H-E H-O-T E-F-F-O-R-T

"Enter," she said, pressing the 'Enter' button. Lakitu crossed his fingers with hope, and Toadette waited patiently. Nothing was happening, until the letters began to flash from every corner of the screen. Toadette stared hard with confusion.

"Lakitu, there are letters going all over the place," she said. "I don't know what's happening!"

"Did it flash red?"

"I don't think so."

"If it didn't flash red, then the answer is correct," Lakitu reassured. "Okay, what's happening now? Do they make out something?"

"Wait," she said. She discovered that the flying letters were made up from the motto she had just typed in as her answer, and they were going into their own positions on the monitor to spell out another message, a message which Toadette understood completely.

S-H-U-T O-F-F T-H-E C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R

"I'm going to shut off the computer," she said to Lakitu, and with almost no hesitation she pressed the button by her feet, turning off the monitor and the computer at the same time. Right at that second, the one-way mirror was triggered. It slid down on command and exposed Toadette to Lakitu, and the outside to Toadette. Lakitu stepped back with a stunned face.

"Yes!" Toadette said happily, hugging Lakitu. "You did it! Yes! Let's go!"

"Only you can go," said Lakitu. "Find the laundromat. Just five minutes down the street you'll come across this map on a bulletin, in the middle of the town. Then navigate from there. Once you're at the laundromat, use this key." Toadette nodded as Lakitu handed her a key he had received from the host.

"But you have to wish me luck," she replied, leaving Lakitu and exiting the building as fast as she could. Lakitu stepped out, then sat down on the steps of the bank with exhaustion.

* * *

**23 minutes left**

"Where did McHallyboo go?" Peach asked with yawn.

"He's always to and fro, and disappearing before our eyes," said Blooper. "But once you get to know him, you see, he's a really cool guy."

"You're talking as if you've known him for quite a while," said Peach. Luigi lifted himself on top of one of the washing machines and sat down, kicking his feet in the air wildly.

"I can't wait to win," Luigi told the others. "I know that it might not be me, but I want to make it to the end."

"I want to make it further too," Peach told them. "I had to change my suspect ever since Birdo disappeared. I feel so-so about this upcoming execution."

"I feel very confident," said Blooper in a quiet voice. And so they sat there, talking about the most ridiculous subjects. All were tired, having only gotten an hour or two of sleep last night. But they were already used to it.

* * *

"The bulletin?" Toadette asked. "There's a bulletin somewhere that has a map." The pink Bob-omb pointed towards the end of the road, and Toadette thanked her and ran off. She wasn't sure how far the laundromat was, but she didn't bother to pace her running as she continued her search. 

"The map!" she said with excitement, spotting it in the center of the town. There was a key guide on the left side, and she looked for the town laundromat: Number 32. She located the number on the map, seeing the distance between the building and the location that she was currently at.

Toadette: _According to the map and the scale it was a mile away. Being the best athlete in the group left I felt confident enough. _

* * *

"So let's take this into consideration," Blooper said. "We have to finish washing the clothes before they come here." 

"Yes," said Peach. "So?"

"Why won't we be drying them?" continued Blooper. Peach laughed and turned to look at the five machines; **20 minutes left**.

"Maybe we'll add more money to the pot if we dry the clothes afterwards," said Blooper. "Or, well, you know, maybe we'll get exemptions."

"That's a strange idea," Luigi said. "Do you think it's true? I don't think so."

"Blooper, you can really come up with the strangest ideas," said Peach with amusement. "Drying the clothes and getting more money? Please, this is a game." He shrugged and looked towards the dryers.

* * *

"Oh, crap," said Toadette. "I'm lost." Five minutes after she had left the bulletin to find the laundromat, Toadette realized that she wasn't going the right way. From across the road was a slow-moving carriage, and Toadette ran up to the Bob-omb situated on top of the horse. 

"Hello?" she said. "Where's the Sunrise Laundromat, cause I'm hoping if you could tell me or give me a map."

"Hop in," he told her.

"Into the carriage? Will you bring me there?"

"To the laundromat, yes." Toadette grinned with relief as she stepped into the horse-drawn vehicle. Then they left, at a slow rate.

* * *

As the machines approached closer to their end time, they began to rumble furiously. Luigi got off from one of the machines and stood back in horror. Blooper headed towards the doors and looked outside for any sign of Lakitu or Toadette. He mumbled something so quiet that even he himself didn't fully pick up on what he said. 

"Huh," said Peach. "Seventeen minutes is still going to give the other two a big chance to ruin our game. I didn't even finish breakfast. Did you?"

"I can't wait to win the money," Luigi said. "Knowing that, well, you took a neutralizer Peach, I'm really grateful."

"I forgot what a neutralizer even does," she admitted, laughing at the same time.

"Yes, I forgot too," Blooper said without turning around. "I think it keeps you away from any exemptions."

**16 minutes **

* * *

"I really don't mean to rush," Toadette said while sticking her head out the window, "but can you go faster? I need to catch a train." The Bob-omb cracked his whip, making Toadette jump back with surprise and shock. The horses began to stamp off at a faster gait. 

Toadette: _The poor horses got whipped! I felt really bad about myself until I realized he had not hit the horses at all, but just made the whip sound to signal them to go faster. _

* * *

"Yes, I think we're going to a make it!" Luigi shouted. Peach and Blooper did not look as optimistic as him, but felt the same way. 

"I would not want to have done this for nothing," said Blooper.

"All we have done so far was retrieve quarters and start the laundry," Peach pointed out. "Was that really a lot? It's as if you know we're going to lose." Blooper raised his eyebrows.

"I...I hope Lakitu and Toadette are okay," he said. "I'm really hungry, because I didn't eat any breakfast either. Gee, how many days has it been since the start of the show? Quite a lot, actually."

Blooper: _Maybe this game is trying to trick me. I'm here with four others, and now I need to let them know who I am. And at the same time, I have to make sure that the others are defeated, which would make me the victor. I'm going to be here for a while then._

* * *

Lakitu, who was alone and silent on the steps of the bank stood up and yawned. Having navigated the town for over twenty minutes, he felt he knew he had mastered the town locations by heart. He headed towards an arcade store and not only did he find it empty of any people, but as he got closer to the games in the back, he saw a familiar scene before his eyes. 

Space Clouds and Spikes, Tic Tac Toe Debt, and Ala Boobie's Twelfth Adventure.

"Ala Boobie's Twelfth Adventure," he said out loud. "That name has got to be a joke." For a short minute he played the old-fashioned game until he reached the palace, the Taj Mahal, at the end of the level. A pixel mushroom character appeared on the screen.

"Thank you AlaMar Boobieio. But the princess is in another castle." Suddenly he remembered where he had played this game; on the ferry boat.

* * *

**12 minutes**

"Okay, movie quotes," said Blooper in a more optimistic mood. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Where does that come from?" Luigi was clueless, but Peach jumped with the answer.

"Gone with the Wind," she said happily. "Oh, I have one. I'll get you my pretty, and...your dog too! What movie is that?"

"The Wizard of Oz," Blooper said. "This one you'll probably get also. You're gonna need a bigger boat."

"Jaws!" said Luigi. "I heard that when I was at Universal Studios. You know, that Jaws ride. The one with a boat...and the fake shark...no?" The other two confused players only stared at him.

"How about," said Peach, "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you. You'll never get that one."

"Come on," said Blooper. "It's from Yankee Doodle Dandy. Take this quote; yo! Adrian!"

"Oooh, I know this one," said Peach. "Rocky right?" Blooper nodded.

"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape! Where's that?" continued Blooper. "This one is easy cheesy."

"You are extremely lucky that DK is not here," Peach said with a chuckle.

"I made sure that he wasn't one of the players," Blooper said. Peach looked strangely at him.

"I know this is sad," said Luigi, 'but I have never seen any of these a movies you guys are a talking about." Blooper and Peach laughed at him and with him at the same time, as the laundry got closer to its finish. **10 minutes. **

* * *

As everyone else was cooling off to entertainment, Toadette was in a rush. The game was about to end and it was up to her. 

"Sir, you got to move faster," Toadette said in panic. "Just tell me how far the laundromat is and I'll go the rest of the way through."

"'Tis a shame," he commented, "that you decide to do so. But it's a quarter mile from here now. Down past two roads, into 23rd Boulevard or something, something with 23, and you'll go down left an' keep on going till you see it."

"Thank you," she said. Toadette got out her wallet.

"No pay needed," he said quickly, as she smiled and headed off on foot.

* * *

"I'm out of quotes," Blooper realized. "Let's see, how much time on the machines?" 

"Nine minutes till we win," said Luigi.

"Till we win," muttered Blooper.

"I am very tired," said Peach. "And bored. No offense, but that quote game made me realize that we really have nothing to do. And what are we doing here? Trying to win the pot money that only one of us would win."

"Hey, at least you have a chance at getting the money," Blooper muttered again.

**9 minutes**

"Does your guys a...mouths feel bitter?" Luigi said. "Do any of you have water?"

"I do," said Peach, only to realize that she didn't have any water at all.

"Did I tell you guys this before?" Blooper said suddenly. "I'm a videographer."

"A person who uses discs and electro-mechanical devices to record moving images?" Luigi said, who was well-informed of what videography was. "Wow, that's pretty cool!"

"And why are you labeled 'Sea Scavenger'?" asked Peach. "I thought you were a sea explorer, not a scavenger."

"I want them to change it," complained Blooper.

* * *

Toadette, who had been given a boost from her period of relaxing in the carriage, ran for a quarter mile in two minutes. She came across a map on the side of a restaurant as she looked for the laundromat. 

"Number thirty two," she said, using her finger to locate her direction. It was just around the corner.

* * *

"I think that we're going to make it," Blooper said. "From when they come, we'll prevent Lakitu and Toadette from coming inside here. They cannot stop the laundry or else we lose, and so that's up to the three of us to do." 

"You want us to lock the doors or something?" Peach said with amusement.

"No," he said. "I will prevent them from doing anything. And you guys will help me."

Peach: _Blooper wants to make sure that Toadette and Lakitu don't do anything. But from what I remember from the rules, we would already lose if they just simply arrive here._

Exhausted from her travel, Toadette looked up at the name of the store to see where she was currently standing at: SUNRISE LAUNDROMAT. She took out the key from her pocket and proceeded to unlock the door.

"I'm telling you," said Blooper, "that they'll try and make us lose the money for their own good."

"I hate to disagree," Peach argued.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that persuasion is always good?"

"Because---"

"Stop!" shouted Toadette, running into the doors of the laundromat to present herself to the three others. She had made it, but the game still wasn't over.

* * *

**And so four victims are to be doomed, but one of them will succeed over everyone else, even over the Mole. But be assured and promised when I say that Episode 5 will finally end in the next chapter.**

**Also, if you have ever seen the Mole 2 U.S., then you should know the admiral Bill McDaniel. After his five year contract with NBC, he's finally allowed to publish his own book about his "_Mole_" experiences. Check it out! It's going to be the Number 1 top seller for 2007, or possibly, 2008.**

_And so the clues are littered:_

The Mole, **_TR_**aitor Aboard

The arcade game: Space **_Clouds_** and _**Spikes **_

Even **_UP_** you can see THE MOLE, in Room 801

The bakery's name; La **_PLUNGER_**IA

The **_Peach_** tart cake is an accustomed dish

**Haha, happy New Year to everyone! Best wishes from the Mole. Please review and make me ecstatic:D **

**Execution comes next, and only leaves four.**

* * *


	22. A Four Pointed Star

**_Episode 5 (Part 7)_**

Everyone turned to her. She was leaning against the door, panting for air, and the only person who looked relieved was Peach.

"Toadette!" Peach said.

"Stop the laundry," Toadette told them. "It's a trap. If you finish the laundry, then the challenge would be worth no money, so just stop it now." Blooper folded his two front tentacles.

"And why didn't McHallyboo tell us this?" he questioned.

"Because it was part of the game," she explained. "If Lakitu and I were able to free ourselves and reach you guys in time to stop the laundry, then we would win 20,000 coins into the pot instead of lose it. So I made it here. Let's go, come one! It's going to finish!" She glanced over at the washing machines: **4 minutes**.

"Maybe this whole thing is a trap," Blooper said. "I don't trust you. I already decided that I'm not going to let anyone stop the laundry, and that includes you."

"Is this true, Toadette?" Peach asked her. Toadette nodded.

"Erm, maybe she's doing it for an exemption," Luigi thought out loud. Peach kicked him softly.

"Blooper, you have to believe me," said Toadette with panic. "You need to stop the laundry now." All Blooper did was make his way over to one of the machines, and then he sat on top of one just like Luigi had been doing prior to before.

"I'm not believing you," he confirmed. "Peach and Luigi, she's probably the Mole, trying to find some clever way to sabotage this. McHallyboo said that finishing the laundry would result in winning the money, not losing it. She's a liar."

Blooper: _I wasn't going to trust Toadette because number one, we had gotten the instructions straight from McHallyboo's mouth. Second, she sounded as if she was lying and making up some story._

Toadette: _I thought that the hardest part was coming here. Now I have to face another issue that's just really irrational and stupid._

"Guys, come on," Toadette begged. "I'm begging you to believe me. If you finish the laundry, the game is done and we lose."

"No," said Blooper.

"Look," she continued. "I wouldn't come all the way here just to lose money. I'm here to save us and make us win this game. What's wrong with you, why don't you listen?" Luigi shrugged, unsure.

"I believe her," said Peach. "I think Toadette's telling the truth." Toadette smiled.

"Peach, I can always count on you," said Toadette, as Peach laughed.

"I still don't," Blooper argued, but Peach stepped towards the washing machines, making her choice. "She's making us lose the game-Peach! No!" He hastily jumped off from the machines as she forcefully opened each door. Foam and water leaked out at rapid speed from each washer, and Peach squealed and jumped back with alarm. As she hurried to open the others doors she made a mess, with water splashing every corner of its view and the clothes spilling out onto the marble in a heap of chaos. Toadette covered her mouth as she walked over to Peach, as they gave each other a high-five.

"Yes!" Toadette said with triumph. "We did it! I was telling the truth!" Blooper frowned.

"I, err, truly have to say that I still have doubt," he claimed. "I believe that we just lost the money, all thanks to you." They both stared at him. McHallyboo entered on time, and was flabbergasted by the view.

"Holy calamari!" he explained. "Oh, calamari. What happened?"

"I stopped the laundry?" Peach told him sheepishly. "Because Toadette said to."

"Congratulations," he said, as Blooper looked surprised. "This challenge tested your trust. Through back stabs, lies, and seeing how far you are into this game, it's easy to see that you should trust nobody. But you, Peach, remembered the true meaning of team work and threw your doubts to the side." Peach smiled at Toadette, who shrugged.

"So if we finished the laundry, we would have lost?" Luigi said with realization. "Wow, what a cruel game."

**Team Pot**

**_135,000c +20,000c: 155,000c _**

"Was the Mole trying to come into play here?" McHallyboo continued. "Luigi seemed to have a boost in the questions I asked you, coming up with answers at the last second. Was it his intelligence, or did he know them beforehand?"

"It's a my intelligence, I swear!" Luigi said honestly. Peach laughed and shook his shoulders.

"And why was Blooper so hesitant in trusting Toadette?" he continued. "Was he trying to persuade the others that she was lying, in attempt to take the suspicion off from him and finish the laundry?" Blooper looked hard at McHallyboo, not knowing what to say.

"You are up to one hundred fifty five thousand coins," McHallyboo said grandly. "But remember that only one of you can win this. Tonight, all relatives are leaving. Among them will be another one of you. But let's not worry about that." He faced the puddle of foam and clothing.

"Clean up in aisle three." The rest laughed, but were all feeling a slight bit of dread inside them.

* * *

Lakitu: _Things have been really hard. I was looking at Toadette as the Mole, then Peach, and then I see Luigi getting questions right after another and it's just all confusing. This is Episode 5, and I'm not going to fail this quiz. _

Luigi: _I did not know the answers to the questions before hand! Believe me! Huh, I do not like McHallyboo for making me look bad. I loved this game because it a had a twist to it. So if I was the Mole, I would NOT be surprised. Take a that!_

Peach: _When Blooper told us that Toadette was lying, I was completely baffled at why he would bother to suddenly point his fingers at her. All of a sudden he starts saying, "She's lying, she's lying." So to me that was just odd.  
_

Toadette: _I thought this game was a turning point for me, because Blooper was not trusting me, and with Blooper not trusting me it just raised my thoughts on how he could be the Mole. I've never thought that he might be the Mole before.  
_

Blooper: _I can never trust a person, so when I told the others not to believe Toadette, I was trying to be protective, like a mother bird over its chicks. I was not trying to be suspicious! I was trying my best to be productive and over the others, and with that, I would be focusing on someone else instead of me. _

* * *

It was lunch time, and the temperature had dropped suddenly. After playing a hectic and mentally-challenging game they all sat down, happily and content, with their loved ones. Toadette was sharing a tuna salad with her mother and telling jokes. Luigi was telling Mario all about his adventures. Peach and her aunt sat at the edge of the fountain together, sharing a smoothie. Blooper and his dad were busy spreading cheese sauce all over their nachos.

Lakitu and Dominique were secluded somewhere else, away from the others. They were sitting at the table, and strangely, they were eating a dessert of blueberry pie. Dominique sipped her wine, shyly, and set it down.

"You what?" she said, in full interest and with amusement.

"I dropped Daisy's name label onto the floor," he said, smiling, "and then time was up. I just gave Daisy the carpet flooring, according to McHallyboo." He and Dominique burst into laughter, Dominique laughing and reaching over to hold Lakitu's hand. Lakitu's other hand, which was below the table, was trembling at maximum speed.

Lakitu: _Oh, boy. This was the time. This was it._

At the other side of the plaza, Peach and Toadette knew what was going to happen. They hurriedly made their way to where the two of them were seated, hid behind a plant, and watched them secretly. They grinned.

"Oh, Lakitu," Dominique said. "You haven't, you know, been worrying about me at all during this game, have you?" Lakitu heavily shook his head.

"Are you kidding me?" he said. "I've been going crazy over you every day, every night when I was here. I have always been thinking about you. And I have something I want to show you now." His hand reached into his pocket and reached for a square case, and he pulled it out and set it out onto the table. Dominique gasped, speechless.

"Oh my god," she said, as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Do you know what this is?" Lakitu said, smiling, his eyes starting to form tears as well. Dominique slowly nodded as she started to cry.

"Never before in my life," he continued, "had I ever imagined that I could love someone as much as I love you, right now, right this very second." He paused to wipe his own eyes, realizing that he was crying himself.

"And I love you, so much Dominique. So will you take this ring and take my hand in marriage, and spend the rest of your life with me?" Dominique laughed through her crying, and the two of them embraced in a long, lovingly kiss that seemed to lock their lives together in an instant.

Peach and Toadette watched, silently clapping with joy for the new couple.

"This is so sweet," Toadette said, wiping away her minute tears. "I can't believe I'm actually crying. Boy, sterilize this."

"Lakitu and Dominique Clouda, they are soooo perfect for each other," Peach said dreamingly. "I'm so happy for them! I know, let's come out now." They came out from behind the cactus to congratulate the new couple.

* * *

Blooper and Lakitu were not present at the proposal, but were rather discussing to each other away from everyone else, including their loved ones. Blooper was forming a coalition.

"And with me saying that I'm not the Mole, you believe me right?" Luigi nodded.

"I believe you," he said. "And I'm a not the Mole either. Wait, wait a minute. No hard feelings, but I...a, just want to make sure that you're not playing with me."

"I'm telling this to you, and nobody else," Blooper said quietly, "that I'm not the Mole. And you can believe it or not, but I'm just asking you to believe it." Luigi nodded again.

"Do you want to work together?" Luigi suggested. "That's what I think you're trying to do."

"I'm forming a coalition with you, Luigi," Blooper said firmly. "I know that I can't play this game by myself. So I need a partner, or rather, another player to work with. Does that make sense with you?"

"So if we are 'together' right now," said Luigi, "What do we do first?"

"I know this will sound risky," Blooper said, "but, well, we are not allowed to vote for each other at all during the quizzes. If you do the same, then I will too." Luigi contemplated the idea.

"What will that prove?"

"That we're truly forming a coalition in this stage of the game."

Luigi: _Yes, it is risky. If Blooper is the Mole, then I'm a dead man if I do that. I wasn't entirely sure if I wouldn't vote for him at all on the quiz._

"Okay," said Luigi. "But I want to know why you picked me."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know why you picked me over the other three."

"Because you're the only one whom I'm feeling certain isn't the Mole," Blooper told him. "I'm up to the two girls left as my suspects. I know that I shouldn't have told you that, but now that we're working together I guess it's safe to tell you all that I think. If Lakitu isn't the Mole, and neither you nor I is the Mole, then it's one of them."

"I'm a bit confused," Lakitu said with a laugh. "I've always thought a that maybe Lakitu could be the Mole, and that the Mole is male."

"The Mole is female," said Blooper. "Trust me, even though I'm not one hundred percent sure."

"Then Toadette?" Luigi said. "You think she's the Mole?"

"Peach is also a candidate," Blooper commented. "I'm more for Toadette though because she's stronger than Peach, but just in case, I'll vote my answers on both of them. I'll split it."

Blooper: _Maybe if a girl is executed tonight, it will narrow it down to just one of them.  
_

"But what makes you think that Lakitu can't be the Mole?" said Luigi. "Should I vote for him on the quiz?"

"Not at all," Blooper told him. "But I can't force you. Working together, I'm just hoping that we'll both face each other in the final round, and from there, we'll have equal chances of winning the game." They had reached the end of the road, literally, in their discussion.

"I just want to ask you one more question," Blooper said finally. "Do you truly believe that I am not the Mole?" Luigi stood still before answering.

"Yes," he said, but a small squeak from his voice made Blooper know that he wasn't completely telling the truth.

* * *

"To athlete, to demise," McHallyboo said out loud. "It's time to let out your words. And not the words of the players. The words of their loved ones, the ones who know all about them, along with their deepest, darkest, secrets."

_What was the player's most embarrassing moment?_

**Toadette Rytoad/ Olivia Funghis: Daughter/ Mother**_  
_

"Mom, no!" Toadette said. "You can't!"

"Oh yes I can," her mom replied. "One day on Halloween, her sister decided to play a prank on her, and she had it planned out so that there were Trick-or-Treaters downstairs. And then Toadette was in the shower..." Toadette buried her face.

"...when that little girl set off an alarm in the bathroom. Toadette ran out with fear, screaming at the top of her lungs when she realized that there were people at the front door, with gaped mouths. Her face grew so red I was worried sick."

"Mom, how could you?" Toadette said with disbelief. "You just told everyone on national television."

"Come on," her mom said. "You're not famous. This won't be getting into the headlines and you won't be threatened or anything." She chuckled.

**Blooper Inke/ Arnold Inke: Son/ Father**

"I remember," Blooper dad said, laughing. Blooper feared the worst.

"He was in sixth grade, and it was the night of the chorus," he continued. "Blooper was all excited for his solo for one of these fast-paced songs."

"Is this the one where I..." began Blooper. His father nodded.

"I'm video-taping all of this. Now Blooper's solo part comes up, and he doesn't sing. Instead, he coughs into the microphone, and the entire auditorium goes quiet and everyone starts whispering. Then comes the best part. Suddenly, he starts to cry in front of everybody."

"I did not!" he protested. "Dad!"

"You stood there for an entire minute before they pulled you away," he continued, laughing, while Blooper simply sat down in his chair. He seemed to sink with shame as his father laughed continuously.

"And I still have it on tape, too," he told him.

**Luigi Mario/ Mario Mario: Brother/ Brother**

"This takes place back long ago," Mario said. "When a he and I were just a teenagers."

"When we were actually plumbers," Luigi added.

"And before you met a Daisy," Mario added even more, "you had the a feelings for the girl Hiromi." Luigi froze at the sudden flashback, and Mario burst out with laughter.

"That was centuries ago!" Luigi insisted. "I can't believe you a still remember that."

"So what happened was, euh, a rather tragic, shall we say?" said Mario. "Luigi tells her, while we are a playing miniature golf, that he has a small crush on this another girl." Luigi shook his head and let out a moan.

"Then that was the end of our relationship," said Luigi sadly. Mario continued to laugh

"That story was not embarrassing!" Luigi argued. "It was very sad!"

"You should have seen her reaction, as if Luigi was crazy to say such a stupid thing to her," Mario said. "And yes, Luigi, it was a very embarrassing to you. And funny."

**Peach Toadstool/ Katrina Toadstool: Niece/ Aunt**

"Embarrassing moment?" Peach repeated. "I've had too many to count."

"Peach was fifteen years old," her aunt started, "when she was invited to see a live performance of the Toad Rockers."

"Oh my god!" said Peach. "They used to be my favorite band! I had a major crush on the lead singer...and now comes the horrible part of the tale." She folded her arms.

"She's about to take a souvenir picture with all four members," her aunt continued, "and she's looking really excited, and trying to stay still, and posing her best at the same time. She then lets out gas, and all four of them backed away simultaneously like magnets." Peach giggled like crazy, and Aunt Katrina chuckled.

"And it was loud and awful," she added.

"Auntie! You don't have to be so descriptive!" Peach said. "It hurts when I remember that moment. God, it was an awful memory all right."

**Lakitu Clouda/ Dominique Clouda: Fiance/ Fiancee**

"Darling, didn't I already tell the others about your most embarrassing moment?" Dominique said with realization.

"You told the others when you weren't even asked to do so." They both shared a laugh that lasted longer than it should have.

"And that's why I love you," Lakitu told her.

"That's why I love you," Dominique said back.

"You know what?" Lakitu said to the camera. "Let's skip this question. What's the next one?"

_What was the most memorial moment the two of you had together?_

"Just a few hours ago I proposed to Dominique," Lakitu said, putting his arms around her.

"We both cried!" Dominique piped up.

**Peach Toadstool/ Katrina Toadstool: Niece/ Aunt**

"I brought my aunt onto a roller coaster once," Peach said.

"Yes, I remember," her aunt continued. "I was so frightened to go but you blackmailed me into doing it. And then we were getting into our seats, and I was grabbing onto Peach's hands so tightly."

"But then you liked it!" finished Peach. "We were both screaming for the entire time and laughing and having a thrill ride. So I'll never forget that."

"Neither will I."

**Luigi Mario/ Mario Mario: Brother/ Brother**

"When we discovered the a Mushroom Kingdom together, Luigi and me," Mario said. "We felt so lost and helpless at the find."

"With Mario by my side, I knew that I was safe," Luigi recalled. "I didn't feel scared, but I felt awe at what I was seeing." Mario nodded heavily.

"I will never forget how a we both felt that spectacular moment," said Mario. "What a superb memory."

**Blooper Inke/ Arnold Inke: Son/ Father**

"Ah, the shark attack," Blooper's father remembered. "Do you remember eighteen summers ago?"

"Okay, yeah," Blooper said. "But we were actually at the threat of death. The ship sunk, and we swam for our lives. I wouldn't call it a memory about the two of us, because we both swam opposite directions after that."

"But we met up with each other at the end and have remembered the event ever since," his father objected. "Admit it, it was cool." Blooper shook his head.

"That's the best memory you could think of us, Dad? Swimming away from a deadly shark?"

**Toadette Rytoad/ Olivia Funghis: Daughter/ Mother**

"Okay, I hope I don't cry while remembering this," Toadette said, grinning. "I broke my leg when I was ten years old, and it was Christmas. We went to a skating rink with our whole family, and then I suddenly realized I couldn't skate. I was ready to cry."

"So I broke the rules of the rink," he mother said. "I put on her ice skates, carried her on my shoulders, and I, or rather we, skated."

"Gosh, I remember," Toadette told her. "I'll never forget that day and that memory of what you did. Mom, you were always so nice to me." She leaned against her shoulder and laughed.

_Do you think your loved one is the Mole?_

"I don't think Toadette could be the Mole," her mom said. Toadette got up and looked at her.

"Wow, Mom," she said, rolling her eyes. "Thanks a lot for that."

**Blooper Inke/ Arnold Inke: Son/ Father**

"Blooper can be the Mole," said his father. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he was."

"I think you would," Blooper replied.

**Luigi Mario/ Mario Mario: Brother/ Brother**

"I don't a think he was strong enough to be the Mole in the beginning," Mario said. "But now that he's become stronger, they might choose him now if they could a change their mind. I don't think he could be the Mole, a though."

"I'm not the Mole!" Luigi repeated. "I told you! Even my favorite hero says he doesn't think so, and he's just a little, teeny bit psychic."

**Peach Toadstool/ Katrina Toadstool: Niece/ Aunt**

"Peach could definitely be the Mole," her aunt said without any hesitation. "She's a good liar, witty, funny, and a great actor too."

"You'll just have to wait and see," Peach said slyly.

**Lakitu Clouda/ Dominique Clouda: Fiance/ Fiancee**

"If Lakitu is the Mole," she said, "then that'd be extremely sexy!" Lakitu coughed.

"I have no comment about what she had just said. Must be the wine, probably." She slapped him on the shoulder, and he burst out laughing. Dominique joined his laugh right after.

* * *

It was already time. Like all the previous executions before, the quizzes took place at night. All the loved ones were kept in the lobby, waiting patiently, while the other five were segregated into different hotel rooms with a laptop, displaying the ten questions and their choices. It was time for a fifth player to be the Mole's next victim.

Luigi eyed the first question of the quiz.

_**1. Did the Mole volunteer for one of the keys at the start of the Bell of Endurance game?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

_(flashback of Peach demanding the key from Toadette)_

Luigi:_ Blooper wants me to steer towards the girls. I remember how Peach forced the key from a Toadette in the Bell game, and why she had decided to steal her key was very Mole-ish.  
_

_**2. How far did the Mole make it through the Bell of Endurance game?**_

_**-To the Moat**_

_**-To the Wire Maze**_

_**-To the Field**_

_**-To the Electricity Wall**_

Peach: _I believe that Blooper, the cause of why we lost the Bell game, did not lose the key by accident. The way he acted about it seemed very fake and planned out. It looks like he lost it, and even after that, he blamed others for losing the challenge instead._

_Flashback **Blooper**:_ _"I'm not the Mole! How about Lakitu?"__  
_

_**3. What is the Mole's "worst" fear?**_

_**-Spiders**_

_**-Snakes**_

_**-Fireworks**_

_**-Dark**_

_**-Gold**_

Blooper:_ When Toadette was the only one who didn't open her door in the Relatives challenge, I shook my head and even laughed. No way would you think that by not sticking your hand into a spider web, you would be declared innocent._

_(flashback of Toadette slumping to the ground)  
_

Lakitu:_ Everything was planned when Blooper labeled his worst fear as 'gold'. He knew that by doing that, he would be able to open his door freely and seem like a hero for giving up an exemption. He doesn't need any exemptions because he is the Mole._

_**4. Before the Neutralizing, was the Mole able to see their loved one in the Relatives Game?  
**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Toadette: _If Blooper knew that lying was necessary in the Relatives challenge, why didn't he tell us about it? Why couldn't he have prevented us from writing what we really feared if he knew the truth behind the upcoming game? _

Luigi: _I thank Peach for taking the Neutralizer in exchange of being able to see Mario. But if I were them, I would feel devastated about it at the least. Lakitu was not so affected by taking a neutralizer, or at least, looked at it as if it was a joke. Could a he be the Mole?_

_Flashback **Lakitu, **laughing "You still owe me one, Toadette. I'm watching you."__  
_

_**5. What is the relationship of the Mole's loved one to them?**_

_**-Mother**_

_**-Father**_

_**-Brother**_

_**-Aunt **_

_**-Fiancee**_

Peach: _It's impossible to have confirmed whether Dominique would be able to see Lakitu or not, and so what makes it suspicious is how Lakitu had the ring beforehand. Maybe Lakitu manipulated it so he would be facing against a weaker opponent in the Relatives game, Toadette._

_**6. From McHallyboo at the breakfast table, how many seats away was the Mole sitting?**_

_**-One**_

_**-Two **_

_**-Four**_

_**-Five**_

Toadette: _Some of these questions are impossible to answer, or even remember._

_**7. Was the Mole a washer or a runner in the Laundry game?**_

_**-Runner**_

_**-Washer**_

B**l**o**o**p**e**r: _Luigi answering during the Laundry game was really fishy. I think it extremely impossible for a player like him to have know those answers in a flash. However, I've already formed a coalition with him so I've bumped him off my list.  
_

_Flashback **Luigi**: "No, wait. The question is asking for how many bags were mislabeled. Daisy's carrying container was not labeled at all, as Lakitu had failed to put any name at all on her bag. So that makes it two."_

Lakitu: _Maybe Luigi did indeed know the answers to those questions before the challenge had started. In fact, this made it even more likely that the laundry would not have been stopped in time, and by hurrying the washing the money would have been lost. It all adds up that Luigi could well possibly be the Mole._

Toadette:_ Blooper definitely wanted me to fail in my job. He was trying to make the blame fall onto me if I didn't stop the laundry, but in truth, he ended up being the only one who looked suspicious. But then again, it might just have been his strategy. _

_**8. What was the Mole's most embarrassing moment?**_

_**- Exiting the shower in front of trick-or-treaters**_

_**- Crying during a song solo**_

_**- Confessing a love to a date**_

_**- Farting during a picture with band members**_

_**- Urinating in public **_

Peach:_ Toadette shares everything with me, so I wonder why she had told Lakitu that she was a musician when she had never told me that before.  
_

Lakitu: _Peach's aunt told us that Peach was a good liar and got away with many things. That's very similar to what the Mole can do_

**_9. Is the Mole Neutralized?_**

**_-Yes_**

**_-No_**

Toadette: _If Peach and I make it past this round then we'll be fighting together, not against. _

Peach: _With any luck, I'll make it to the end with no doubt. _

Blooper: _I did not answer anything for Luigi, so I can only hope that Luigi did the same.  
_

Luigi: _If I'm not a being executed today, I'm still going to be unsure, and that's a not good. _

Lakitu: _I need to make it past this round to survive, and whether basing the answers to this quiz from last time's quiz was a good strategy or not...would be discovered._

_**10. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Toadette**_

_**-Blooper**_

_**-Lakitu**_

_**-Peach**_

_**-Luigi **_

* * *

The execution took place at the plaza, outdoors in the area where Lakitu had proposed to Dominique. The players placed their packed baggages along a brick wall and were brought to a row of picnic chairs, where they seated themselves along with their loved ones. A television stared all ten of them in the face, a thumb print logo visible. McHallyboo was there like always.

"Welcome to your fifth execution," he announced. "All the loved ones will be sent home tonight, and so will the Mole's fifth victim. You have all taken the ten question quiz, and the results have been received and sorted out. Let me just tell you that whoever gets executed tonight will not only be accompanied by someone else, but will have the satisfaction in them of having made it to the final five." The players all nodded.

"I will begin entering your names into the screen one at a time. If it turns red, you are the lowest scorer and you must leave the game immediately. I wish you all good luck." He sat down in his own seat, a picnic chair in front of the keyboard. All their relatives could only wait to see how the process went. The players, having seen four executions in the past, knew how it went and how disappointing it would be to finally be the one sent home.

"I'll start with requests," McHallyboo said for a change. "Who wants to go first?" Blooper raised his tentacle in the air, and Lakitu did a half-half.

"Blooper," the host said out loud. As his name was typed, his father couldn't help but smile. Blooper looked too calm.

B-L-O-O-P-E-R

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

Blooper shook his head slowly. His father grinned even more.

Lakitu: _Blooper looked so nonchalant when his name was being typed. I wanted to learn to be like that.  
_

"I'll go next," said Lakitu. Dominique faced him with a smile.

"Lakitu," the host said. He slowly typed in his name, letter by letter. Dominique held his hand.

L-A-K-I-T-U

Lakitu kept his face unworried and clean of any signs of fear.

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

His eyes widened with surprise. Dominique have him a kiss on his cheek.

"Let me go," Luigi said confidently. Mario was surprised at Luigi's will of volunteering.

"Luigi," said the host, as his name was typed.

L-U-I-G-I

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

"Yes!" he said out loud, breaking the silence of the still night. Peach covered her mouth.

Peach: _I did not expect it to fall like this. Either me or Toadette was going to go. _

Peach looked at Toadette, who glanced at her with a face of defeat and panic.

"Toadette," said the host. Her mother looked at her understandingly as her name was typed into the screen.

T-O-A-D-E-T-T-E

...

...

...

...

...

GREEN

This time Toadette covered her mouth. The eliminated one was Peach.

"I guess that means I'm eliminated," Peach spoke out. Her aunt gave her a hug.

P-E-A-C-H

RED

"Ah, you did good, girl," her aunt said. "I'm proud of you."

"Peach, you have been executed. Peach, and Katrina, please follow me." Peach went over to pick up her bag and left from the area, leaving the others in a strange silence. Mario was the first to speak.

"Ai, Peach?" he said with disbelief. "I can't believe it! I always had a thought she was the Mole." Blooper nodded.

"I guess we'll all be missing her," Toadette said, disappointed. "Especially me."

Toadette: _I realized that at this point, I needed to change my strategy._

"Darn," she added.

* * *

"It was such a wonderful experience," Peach told McHallyboo. "You know, being princess isn't all of it. You need to do this stuff to complete your life."

_(flashbacks of Peach__ in the motor boat during the Hostage challenge__ and screaming while jumping from the Cliff Springs challenge)_

"And then you realize that there are lots of stuff to be discovered, like what you can do and what you can't do."

(_flashback **Peach**: "No way I'm going to be painted nude, and that's final.")_

"So knowing how far in the game I had gone, I'm thrilled that I wasn't the one to win the money," Peach said truthfully. "I never did it for the money at all, I just loved everything I did."

* * *

"She was a great player," Lakitu said. "Whenever you had nothing to do, whenever a challenge wasn't going on, she would just talk and talk to you. No matter how strange the subject." They all laughed.

"Peach really added gist into the games," said Blooper. "I mean, she wasn't trying to sabotage at all. She was always doing what she could do."

(_flashback of Peach running through the field of the Bell of Endurance challenge, screaming and smiling simultaneously)_

"Well, yeah, overall I'm sad that she's not here anymore," Luigi admitted. "If I wasn't the winner I would have wanted her to win."

* * *

"Who do you look forward to winning the money?" McHallyboo asked her. Peach hesitated.

"Well, I'd be sexist if I were to say Toadette," Peach said with a chuckle, "So I'm really wishing for Lakitu to win the game, even though I've felt different about him in the past by not liking him. So I'll wish him the best of luck."

"And I wish the best of luck to you," McHallyboo concluded. They walked over to the taxi, the taxi with the symbol of two snakes wrapped around a pole. McHallyboo shook Peach's hand, then Katrina's, as they entered the vehicle to their final destination. Within seconds they had driven out through the cold night, and out of the game.

"Toadette, are you the Mole?"

"I am not the Mole."

"Blooper, are you the Mole?"

"I am not the Mole either."

"Lakitu, are you the Mole?"

"I might be, I might not be."

"Luigi, are you the Mole?"

"No way I could be the Mole."

* * *

**The fifth execution concluded, and now we get closer to the end of the game. At the beginning there were nine, and now that more than half have disappeared, there are only four players left. Who will win?**

**The poll has now been closed. So what were the results?**

** Lakitu: 3 votes (who is probably not the Mole according to the votes (or is it really?))**

**Peach: 4 votes (who is very much not the Mole)**

**Toadette: 6 votes (who is in the middle and could be the Mole)**

**Luigi: 7 votes (who is ahead and could be the Mole)**

**Blooper: 9 votes (who is most likely the Mole according to the votes (or is it really?))**

**But let's forget about who the Mole could be. A new poll is up, though: _Who will be the winner? _**


	23. Spelling MOLE

**Episode 6**

_Is it a disgrace, or a victory? Peach Toadstool, a player who had no need for the money of the game, left the others, leaving behind a four pointed star. They missed her fun and gist for the games, something they would have needed in this upcoming episode. Things would get harder for all of them. A last exemption still remains in play. As four of them fight to survive, one lays back and converts suspicion towards the others: the Mole._

Lakitu

Surname: Clouda

Birthday: February 25

Occupation: Air Traffic Controller

Luigi

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

Toadette

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emergency Nurse

Blooper

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavanger

* * *

Toadette: _I had a feeling that a girl was going to be left by herself at the end. Not only did I think it was so soon, but I didn't expect the girl to be me._

Lakitu: _I guess that the money will help me in many ways, now that I'm going to be married. I'll even start planning for a family. This game could be the success of my life and my family's life.  
_

Luigi: _I know that it a gets harder from here, like it a wasn't hard enough before. My mind tell me that Blooper isn't completely trustworthy. I voted for three people on the last quiz, so now I've eliminated one of us. It's getting pre-tty dangerous.  
_

Blooper: _Sometimes when things seem like one way...it is not like that and that there's a twist. I don't know, maybe the others are trying to fool me, but I'll be the ones fooling them from now on. _

* * *

The remaining four players started the day paired up with each other. Each pair of players were given a recording camera and no instructions except for the word "interview". Lakitu and Luigi were paired up, and so were Blooper and Toadette. 

The camera focused on Luigi, leaning against a wall with a nervous stance.

"Luigi Mario, brother of Mario and son of the Sun, how do you feel about making it this far into the game?"

"This far? Well, I'm a bit flabbergasted! I thought I would have been eliminated sooner in the game, so yes, quite a surprise!" Luigi grinned.

"Are you slightly optimistic for the outcome of the game?"

"Uh, I should always be optimistic. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all, not at all. So tell us; being a so-called 'chicken' from the start and making it this far into the show, what do you have to say for yourself and to others?"

"That because I have made it this far, I am not a chicken anymore!"

"Are you sure?"

"Well, seeing how I've gone through many challenges that involved risks and fears, yes, I'm sure."

"Are you the Mole?"

"What! Ah, no."

"You seemed very surprised when I asked you that question."

"Fine, I am a bit of a chicken."

* * *

Camera 2 followed Toadette dancing around a bench. 

"Well, Toadette, how did you feel about Peach's execution? A shock?"

"Very sad. Very frustrated. Not shocked though. I wanted to just yell out 'Argh!' when she was eliminated."

"Why are you not staying still?"

"It's very cold outside and because I'm excited about winning the game, duh! Aren't you? Unless you're the Mole."

"What's your strategy for winning?"

"Not telling anyone."

"Okay, then. Who do you think the Mole is?"

"Who do I think? I'm not going to tell YOU."

"I simply thought you would be stupid enough to tell me."

"I might be stupid enough to punch you in the face, yes."

* * *

"So, err, Lakitu, how is the game so far?" 

"Awesome and very nerve-racking. This is the penultimate round, so it feels great!"

"Any other words?"

"I'm engaged."

"That's it."

"That's all you want to ask? What kind of bull---- interview was that?!"

"I'm not much of a talker, sorry."

"Well, better not let too much of me get revealed, right?"

* * *

"Blooper, has anything changed about you since the beginning of the game up to now?" 

"Nothing at all."

"O...kay. Are you thrilled that you've made it past five stressful, grueling executions?"

"I will speak out on the terms of who I am. Yes, I'm thrilled. Surprised? I actually had a peculiar hunch I would make it this far."

"If you were the Mole, not implying that you are, how good of a job do you think you could do?"

"If I was the Mole all the way from the beginning?"

"Would you just spill the beans in a snap?"

"I am not sure."

"Really? Hmm..."

"I might be able to, you know, do the job. But I can never say."

* * *

The players were brought to McHallyboo. 

"Greetings, everyone," the host said out loud. "I congratulate all of you for making it this far. This is the penultimate round of the game, and as you guys may have realized, there is less than half of the people we had started with remaining. Things will get a bit harder from now on. There will be three challenges for this episode; two will be a split-off, and one will be played by all of you tomorrow night. There is just one exemption left, and Lakitu, you will not be able to win that exemption due to your neutralizer." Lakitu shrugged.

"I want you to pair off into two's," he continued. "One pair who would would rather stay inside, and the other pair who would rather stay outside."

Lakitu: _It wasn't about who wanted to stay inside or outside. It was all about who ended up being with who."_

"Since Lakitu and Toadette are such good players and have associated so well with each other, they will be a pair and I'll pair with Luigi," Blooper told the others. "Any objections?"

"Maybe," Luigi said quietly.

"Why do you think we should be together?" Lakitu said with disagreement. "Just because she and I kicked your asses in last time's game doesn't mean we should always stay together all the time." Toadette giggled.

"What do you want?" Blooper asked Luigi in a hesitant manner.

"I wouldn't mind switching," he said.

Blooper: _Maybe Luigi is trying to avoid me because he doesn't completely trust me. He's trying to get away from me in the way that he thinks I am the M-O-L-E._

"I thought it would be best for me to be paired with Luigi," Blooper argued.

Lakitu: _Blooper wants Luigi on his team, possibly, to throw suspicion towards Luigi because he's the weakest player. So I don't want that. Luigi probably knows that Blooper is the Mole and is trying to avoid him. Or, maybe Luigi has another plan and is really the Mole. Who knows._

"No, how about you guys not?" Lakitu said. "How about we let Toadette decide who's with who."

"Me?" said Toadette. "I want to be with whoever wants to be with me."

"I think that since Luigi doesn't feel comfortable with me, he should pair up with Toadette," concluded Blooper. "So Lakitu with me, and Toadette with Luigi."

"Fine with me," she agreed.

Toadette: _Boys fight over everything. If we were all girls we would have paired up in a snap. _

"You guys always have to fuss over the smallest things," she muttered with amusement.

"It's not small!" Blooper pointed out. "Do you know how important it is to see who you're going to play the game with?" Toadette shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah, what a waste," Luigi said with agreement.

"Luigi, you're the one who started this huge-ass argument in the first place," pointed out Lakitu.

"But then who's staying inside?" Toadette asked. "I want to stay inside. Is that okay, Luigi?"

"Nothing wrong with that," he said nonchalantly. "The weather will a probably kill me."

"Luigi and Toadette," said McHallyboo. "You two will be together for your next game. Follow me first." The host headed off down the street with the two trailing behind him. They walked silently, shivering as the wind surrounding the town gradually grew.

"Shivers," said Toadette. "My hands are frozen."

"Mine aren't," Luigi replied.

"So why did you not want to be paired with Blooper?" questioned Toadette. "I know that something's up with you guys, but I don't know what."

"Nothing," said Luigi quickly. "Nothing at all. Why do you ask?" Toadette grinned at him.

"I'm just curious," she said, then continued to walk.

Luigi: _I don't want Toadette to know anything about the two of us. I don't want her to know any information. _

Toadette: _There's something really going on with Blooper and Luigi. What I think is that one of them is the Mole, and that person is playing the other one, one or another, into surviving in the game. But I do know that something dirty is happening._

They entered a small building that said, "The Elsom Bob-omb Local Art Gallery". Toadette looked pleased, but Luigi looked unsure as they entered the first room to the left. All was bare except for pieces of art littered occasionally in every spot. McHallyboo turned around.

"It sure is pleasant to be having your next challenge indoors," he commented. "This next game, though, will test your artistic abilities and luck. You will see that we've emptied this room and picked six different works of art to display. Look around at them for a moment." Luigi and Toadette did so, observing each one they passed.

**Art Work 1**: A top hat on the floor, with a diamond-tipped comb sticking out from a hole in the top

"This one looks cool," Luigi said.

**Art Work 2**: Shattered glass on top of a multi-colored plexiglass sheet, with the empty spaces in the shattered glass creating strips of curved lines to form a rainbow

"I like this one," Toadette said. "Simple but pretty."

**Art Work 3**: Many arrows against the wall that form the shape of a heart

"This one is simple too," said Toadette.

**Art Work 4: **A ladder leaning against the wall, covered with hundreds of band-aids

"If I'm right," Luigi said, "then this must be symbolism."

**Art Work 5:** A noose hanging from the ceiling with a sickle attached to the end.

"Goth art," Toadette realized. Luigi laughed. They had seen all five.

"Now that you've seen the beauty and aspects of art, it's now your turn to bring up your own artistry," he explained. "You must create your own masterpiece and place it among these five authentic pieces of art. An art critic will arrive in approximately four hours. He will look at all six pieces of work, and after examining each one, will determine which work of art was created by the two of you. If you can successfully fool him, you will add 7,500 coins to the pot."

"That's it?" Luigi said with disappointment. McHallyboo smirked slightly.

"The game starts now." Both of them headed directly out through the back door, into a miniature junkyard against the building, filled with the most useless and uninspiring junk.

* * *

Blooper and Lakitu were lead not to a building, but to the grassy fields on the outskirts of the town. They followed behind McHallyboo for half an hour, going through a mix of jogging and walking until they reached the middle of a field. It wasn't just a field, but before them lay a large, acre-sized pen. Strange creatures were wildly moving about inside the fenced area. 

"Are those robots?" Lakitu said out loud.

"This will be interesting," Blooper commented.

Blooper: _I'm thinking to myself that since it's almost the end of the game, you have to pretend that you will be the winner and add more money to the pot._

"Yes, it will," McHallyboo said, speaking for the first time. "I hope you guys had rested enough in bed this morning and have had enough applause. This game will test your sense of coordination and analyzation. Behind us in the colossal pen are seven Mecha-Koopas, running around freely and doing their best to avoid anyone who comes close to them. Individually, your job is to catch as many as you want with twenty minutes each." Both players nodded

"Catching, as in how?" asked Blooper. "I noticed that they all have markings on them. Is that part of the game?"

"Look at that one," McHallyboo said, pointing at the closest robot to them. Etched in scratch marks on its side was the letter 'A'.

"The other six have letters too, as you might have guessed, 'B' 'C' D' 'E' 'F' and 'G'. You will spell out one of three words out of the first seven letters of the alphabet. The words and their points worth are as of the following; spelling 'CAB' would give you one point, spelling 'BED' would give you two points, and spelling 'CAFE' would give you three points. To spell a word, you must remove the corresponding Mecha-Koopas from the inside of the pen to the outside."

"So cab, bed, and cafe," repeated Lakitu.

"There is a twist, however. The farther the letter is down the alphabet, the more difficult it will be to catch it. Knowing that, you could see why 'bed' is worth more points than 'cab'. And last of all, there is a 'G' Mecha-Koopa. If you are able to remove him, you will automatically win the game and add 7,500 coins to the pot. Otherwise, in total you must gather at least four points."

"Do we go separately?" Lakitu asked.

"You may choose who goes first."

"I'll go second, because it evens things out," Blooper said.

Lakitu: _Usually I'm the one to suddenly jump out and claim the orders. But lately Blooper has taken my job. Recently he has been the one choosing the orders of everything. _

Lakitu nodded slowly and was brought to the entrance of the fence. All the Mecha-Koopas froze eerily and faced him.

* * *

"This is a junk!" Luigi realized, digging through the array of items. 

"No, it's not," Toadette protested. "You have no appreciation for art. This stuff is pretty." Luigi mumbled something.

"So let me make this clear," Luigi said. "We must make art work out of this...junk, and trick an art critic? Or was there something else to it?"

"I think," she said. "That's what McHallyboo said, so let's put our artistic minds to work, shall we? Gather all the items that you think would be good to use." She picked up a pair of pom-poms. Luigi looked over at an old television, its monitor smashed open.

"Okay," he said. "But then we must use symbolism."

"Why?"

"Because...all the other arts had symbolism," he pointed out. "So we must really blend into the crowd and not let the critic spot it."

"Just like I'm supposed to do," Toadette said. "Genius, Luigi! You think of an idea, and I'll find items." Luigi nodded happily.

* * *

The Spelling Koopa challenge was set down to forty minutes, split for twenty minutes for each player. Lakitu confidently stepped into the terrain within the fence and walked fowards a few steps. Blooper leaned against the fence and watched him. 

"I think you're ready," Blooper said.

"Time starts now! Applaud!" shouted McHallyboo. As the Mecha-Koopas scattered about furiously, Lakitu ran to the middle of the pen and picked up the two items positioned in the center of the grass: a pair of pom-poms.

"What should I do with these?" he yelled to Blooper.

"Herd them together," Blooper yelled back. "Why don't you try to corner one of them and grab it?" Lakitu walked towards the edge of the fence where Blooper was, as all the Mecha Koopas kept their distance away on the other side.

"Well, what word should I spell out?" Lakitu asked him.

"I think you should be the one to decide on that," said Blooper.

"If we both spell 'BED', then we each get two points," said Lakitu. "Two and two makes four, and we win." Blooper looked unsure.

"I do think that it might be a bit risky," Blooper said in a strange tone. "Wouldn't you think it more reasonable to both try and spell CAFE'?"

"Not at all," Lakitu said with a frown. "I think that the word 'bed' is the easiest way to win. It's easier than 'cafe'. What's the point of getting six points? We need four."

"But CAFE will ensure that if one of us manages to spell it, the other will only have to get the word 'CAB'. Much simpler." Lakitu sighed, stuck in the situation where he could only agree. Blooper's mouth slowly formed a grin.

"Okay," said Lakitu. "I'll get 'CAFE'. If I can't do it, then it's up to you."

"Use your pom-poms!" Blooper shouted, as Lakitu ran back to the center of the pen.

* * *

Toadette managed to gather her selection of items in twenty minutes. While she did, Luigi repeated his ideas over and over again out loud. 

"So we have a meter stick," he said, "with a book at the top for hair, a chalkboard face, an apple for a heart, and what do all of these have in common? It's a teacher!" Toadette shook her head, and Luigi frowned.

"It took me ages to come up with that idea," he complained.

"I'm sorry, but food in a work of art?" Toadette realized. "Get real." She chuckled.

"Then let's just a scrap the entire food idea!"

"I don't think the teacher thing would work at all," she said. "Why don't we symbolize on something not physical, like on love, or beauty, or greed, or anger? I don't think tricking the critic will be easy so let's really trick him." Luigi thought even more as Toadette began to roll the smashed television out of the pile. After five minutes, Luigi shot up with another idea.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, pointing to a pile of straw that Toadette had collected. "We burn that, put it on top of the stick, and color the stick red. Anger! The straw would be still burning though."

Toadette: _Luigi is hilarious, but at the same time he's making it obvious that he's horrible at art. _

"This is my idea," said Toadette, picking up the stick and straw. "We'll chop the stick into little pieces, and put it besides the straw. Next to that we'll put a brick. Straw, sticks, and a brick. These three objects bring up the story of the Three Little Pigs, and from there we'll work on it to cooperate the idea of how television is ruling over all." Luigi looked stunned.

"I guess it'll work," he admitted.

* * *

Lakitu waved his pom-poms in the air furiously. Five minutes had passed, and all he had managed to do was scare the Mecha-Koopas off wherever he went. Blooper looked on with disappointment. 

"This is useless!" Lakitu shouted, throwing the pink pom-poms to the floor. "I'm supposed to grab them after all, not herd them. Blooper, if you're not sure of something then don't say it! You're wasting precious time."

"It's not my fault," Blooper said back. "You decided to use them. The Pom-poms are a red herring, as far as I think so."

"That's what I've been thinking too." The Mecha-Koopas twirled their eyes at him, keeping their distance.

"Okay, I'm going for the letter 'A'" Lakitu decided. "It's the slowest of them all. Wait, how do you spell CAFE again?"

* * *

"...and so we put all three elements of survival into the monitor of this smashed television." Luigi clapped. 

"Great idea," he said, "But what else?"

"We'll build on from that," repeated Toadette. "We'll make it as complex and sophisticated as possible, so much that the critic won't even consider choosing ours." They placed the stick, straw, and brick into the center of the television, among the debris of shattered glass. Then both players lifted the immense object and attempted to carry it inside. Luigi dropped it suddenly, causing Toadette to scream in surprise.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Luigi replied. "I lost my grip." They proceeded through the door and into the gallery.

Luigi: _I didn't know what we were doing but hopefully it was enough to trick an art critic. I'm telling you, I'm simply horrible at art._

* * *

The Mecha-Koopa with the A etched into it was trailing behind the others. Lakitu ran hurriedly to the robot and brought his hands down, and amazingly, he cupped it into his grasp. He got his first letter. 

"What do I do with this!" he yelled to Blooper. "I have A! I have it!"

"You have one Mecha-Koopa removed!" announced the host. "Applaud!"

"I think you're supposed to throw it out of the pen," Blooper said. "Try it." Lakitu ran to the edge of the pen and leaned, the Mecha-Koopa straight in front of him. He dropped his arms, and the creature fell to the grass smoothly.

"Yeah!" Lakitu said with triumph. "Three more to go."

"Are you sure the Pom-poms really don't work?" Blooper said out loud to his partner. "Don't you think there's a reason that they're in the pen? Maybe you really are supposed to herd the Mecha-Koopas with them." Lakitu faced him, then faced back at the group of animals, or rather, mechanized animals.

Lakitu: _First, Blooper is telling me to use the Pom-poms. After five minutes he tells me that he thinks they're just there for a red herring. Now he's telling me that they might be useful after all. I don't know, maybe next he'll say that doing a cheerleading act would hypnotize the Mecha-Koopas._

"You have ten minute remaining!" the host shouted. The 'A' Mecha-Koopa ran up to his feet. McHallyboo petted it.

* * *

"Just a little more," said Toadette, as she and Luigi carried the TV near the array of arrows on the wall. 

"Ahhhh!" shouted Luigi. Toadette screamed as the television dropped, shattering the outside of its base as it hit the ground. Nothing changed, however.

"Why didn't we use a cart to do this?" Luigi complained. "We almost killed out masterpiece, and that would have been the end of our game." They both stood back and looked at their work; a television with straw, sticks, and a brick placed in its smashed monitor along the wreckage of shattered glass.

"I think we should remove the glass from inside the TV," Luigi suggested.

"Let's leave the glass there," Toadette said. "I like how it's just crappy materials among the items that represent what a book is. It's making literature look like crap, and that's symbolism."

"I think we're making this whole work of art look like crap," Luigi muttered.

* * *

The C Mecha-Koopa was completely unaware of Lakitu's existense. Lakitu dashed to the mechanical creature and attempted to grab it. He tripped, and the Mecha-Koopa scurried away with a clicking sound. Blooper burst out in laughter. 

"Like you can do any better!" Lakitu retorted.

"You're not trying your best," Blooper managed to say. He was still laughing.

Lakitu: _I had already wasted half my time trying to catch these Mecha-Koopas, and I didn't even catch half of what I was supposed to. I wasted time somewhere. It was either in the time I was talking to Blooper or how I was trying to use the useless Pom-poms._

Blooper: _Lakitu was taking way too long. I don't know how I could have been anything to do with it._

"My glasses are slipping," Lakitu realized. He reached up and took them off.

"There might be a way around this," Blooper thought out loud. "What letter are you going for again?"

"It was quite obvious that I was trying to go for C," Lakitu said. "Then E, then F." He tiptoed once again towards the C Mecha-Koopa.

"You're running low on time," Blooper noticed. "I'm just hoping we'll win through a miracle. Though it perplexes me why the prize money is so low. 7,500 coins, was it? Or was it 15,000?"

* * *

Luigi and Toadette went back to the miniature junkyard in search of more objects to add to their art work. 

"Were you surprised when Peach left?" Luigi asked suddenly.

"No," said Toadette. Luigi looked puzzled.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because we went for completely different people," she replied. "We went seperate ways. We didn't even bother to convince each other who was right and who was wrong." Luigi looked down at the ground.

* * *

Much to randomness, Blooper called Lakitu to come over to him. He held out a jacket. 

"It's darn cold," Blooper told him as Lakitu took it. "Put it on, and survive until your time ends."

"You really are trying to look like the Mole," Lakitu said with a half grin.

"That's because I am the Mole," he said. "Blooper has been the Mole ever since the start of the game." Lakitu grabbed the jacket and put it on.

"Seven minutes remaining!" shouted McHallyboo. Lakitu let out a groan.

Lakitu: _I'm not taking this game seriously anymore. Dominique, why didn't I get executed last night? Why didn't I go home with you? Why am I not with you right now, getting a head massage instead of running around trying to catch robots?_

* * *

**And so Lakitu wishes for a head massage. Toadette is feeling very much like Van Gough. Blooper has a spare jacket for some reason. Luigi is feeling untalented.**

**According to the poll so far, Who will win The Mole: Traitor Aboard? **

**_Toadette_: 57 percent**

**_Luigi_: 28 percent**

**_Lakitu_: 14 percent**

**_Blooper_: 0 percent**

**Hoping this has nothing to do with sexism, Toadette may be the winner (or knowing how cruel I am I'd probably execute her from the final 3!) Blooper sure is a great player, I wonder why nobody voted for him at all. Luigi sure did a great job making it this far, maybe he would win? Or maybe Lakitu will simply succeed over all with his cloudiness.**

**But who cares about the winner right now? The question is: Who is the Mole?**


	24. Feeling Catchy

**Episode 6 (Part 2)**

Toadette got a book from outside and brought it before Luigi. Luigi looked confused.

"Hey," she said, sitting down on the wooden floor.

"Hey a to you," he said back. "Where'd you get that?"

"From the junk pile," she told him. "It's called Cheerleading Volume 6.02. It just took my notice." Luigi shrugged in reply.

"I think it's a clue," Toadette continued. "There's no other book in that junk yard, this is the only one. Look at it, doesn't the cover look new?" Luigi eyed the cover; besides the muck, there were visible spots of cleanliness.

"So cheer leading is a clue," said Luigi. "Pointing to a girl. Which is you, right?"

"First of all, that's sexist," Toadette said. "And second, if I were really the Mole, I wouldn't want to point out clues. I'm not even sure if this is a clue at all, I mean, we've all been obsessing on books before in the game so I think the producers would include this...what do you think? Doesn't this seem suspicious?"

"The author is Edisqu Ida," noticed Luigi. "Wait, wasn't there a pair of Pom-poms outside in the pile? Cheerleading uses Pom-poms." Toadette shot up and immediately walked out through the door. She came back carrying the pom-poms in her hands.

"Don't mind me saying," Luigi said with excitement in his voice, "but I'm getting a bit hyped over all this discovering!"

"Peach was always getting excited when she discovered stuff," Toadette said, trying her best to smile.

* * *

"Six minutes left! Applause for your efforts!" 

"Get the 'C'!" Blooper shouted, leaning over the fence as much as he could. The Mecha-Koopas were wildly roaming the grassy terrain, and Lakitu chased after them, panting.

"I can't get it!" Lakitu shouted back. He tore of the jacket Blooper had given him, ripping its sleeve off in the process as it fell to the ground. Blooper was stunned, and turned around in exasperation at what had happened.

"You owe me a jacket!" he shouted Lakitu.

"Screw your stupid jacket!" Lakitu said back. "It's not that cold! Why did you even bother giving me a jacket in the first place?" He removed the ripped sleeve from his arm, and at the same time, clapped both of his hands together.

"Go grab the 'C'!"

Lakitu turned around to see the C Mecha-Koopa, stationary in place for some peculiar reason. Peculiarly, all the other robots had frozen too in their spots around the inside of the pen. Lakitu looked around with incomprehension.

"What did you do?" Blooper said with equal confusion. Lakitu shrugged. McHallyboo watched intently.

"I can only guess that we did something," said Lakitu. For a few seconds, he stayed where he was and did nothing, and so did the Mecha-Koopas. Blooper didn't bother to say a word, as he held a tentacle up to his mouth as a signal to Lakitu.

"Lakitu!" he hissed. "All the Mecha-Koopas froze. Keep the silence!" Lakitu nodded heavily, his mouth zippered as he stepped towards the robot closest to him. It was a 'G'.

Blooper: _All of a sudden I knew why the Mecha-Koopas were frozen in place. During the game, McHallyboo had been saying the word "Applause" so many times. I knew all of a sudden, that he had been trying to give us a clue during the entirety of the challenge._

"Applause!" he shouted to his team member. "Clap your hands!" At first, Lakitu stared at him with a look of disorder. He then ran up to the G robot, in such a fast, swift motion that it surprised both Blooper and McHallyboo, as Lakitu picked the little creature up into his arms and threw it over the fence. The Mecha-Kloopa sparked upon impact on the ground, but they didn't care. The challenge had been won with little effort.

WORD SPELLED: G

POINTS: 4/4

"Whoa," Lakitu said, scratching his head. "Did we just win the game? Did the game glitch?" He walked over to the door of the pen and exited through, and was greeted by an amused Blooper.

"In a strange way, I think we did it!" Blooper told him, grinning.

"Well done," said McHallyboo. "The two of you, or rather just the one of you, was able to add the four necessary points for this challenge. Having collected the 'G' Mecha-Koopa which was worth four points itself, you have added 7,500 coins to the pot."

**Team Pot**

**163,500c**

"Holey moley," Blooper said in an over-enthusiastic voice. "This is getting quite thrilling, right Lakitu?"

"But...I don't get it," Lakitu replied, still baffled. "Why did all the robots stay motionless? Am I missing something or am I just stupid?"

_Throughout the time of the Spelling Koopa game, I had been repeating over the word "Applause"_ _in numerous occasions. If the players were to pick up the clue, they would have clapped, bringing in a sound sensor which would instantly shut down the moving machines. Lakitu had done so, but unintentionally when he tried to remove Blooper's jacket._

"I'm still confused," Lakitu said. Blooper and McHallyboo chuckled.

"Well, here's to you for not making me do anything in the game," said Blooper, handing him his own other jacket. Lakitu took it and smiled awkwardly.

"We won!" said Blooper. "I think we did awesome."

"Yeah," agreed Lakitu, looking strangely at Blooper. "I guess we did." He looked at one of the frozen Mecha-Koopas that had been removed from the pen; A. He picked it up.

"You can keep it if you want," McHallyboo told him. "Or if not, you can leave it here to be thrown away." Lakitu tossed it to Blooper without warning, who fumbled with it and dropped it to the ground. The two of them laughed the rest of the way to the town, and as the degrees dropped, the more uncomfortable it became.

But for the Mole, things were about to get even more comfortable.

* * *

"What's a wrong?" Luigi asked. He was alarmed to see Toadette, sitting on one of the art stool on the side of the wall. She was crying. 

"Nothing," she said. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to smile once more. Luigi walked up to her side.

"Come on," said Luigi. "Don't cry. You can tell me anything. Why are you so sad, you were just happy a moment ago?"

"Because I just feel guilty," Toadette explained. "I feel horrible for Peach. We went for different people, and didn't even try to work together. I mean, I thought that we would have both been in this round, but now that I look back at it, it was impossible for it to have been. This game is stressful."

"Well," Luigi replied. "I'm sure she's happier for you than you are sadder for her." Toadette nodded.

"I am happy for her too," said Toadette.

"Then why are you crying!" Luigi asked. Toadette laughed, and so did Luigi. A gust of cold air from the junkyard sent a shiver through both of them. The clock displayed 2:00 P.M.

"I was a very depressed when Daisy went," Luigi told her. "In fact, I had no idea that she was going to be executed. Maybe I was the one who was really supposed to be gone, because in that same episode, I had an exemption that saved me. Maybe I was the one who truly was going to be eliminated. Doesn't that sound horrible?"

"In a way, I guess," Toadette said, wiping her eyes again, but this time heavily.

"So let's say that she had the exemption," Luigi said. "And in Episode 3, the names went like a this. Blooper, safe. Peach, safe. Birdo, safe. Luigi, executed! I would have been so shocked. But then afterwards, I would smile and say to myself, 'Oh well, shucks. But I'm even happier for Daisy because she's still going on.' I bet that that is exactly how she felt about me, and exactly how Peach felt about you. Eh? What do you say?" The two of them didn't say anything for a while, until Toadette spoke out.

"Did you remember that order?" she asked. "Blooper, Peach, Birdo, and then Daisy?"

"I did," said Luigi, puzzled.

"Is that the real order we were called in that execution?"

"Yes, as far as I remembered," Luigi said. He looked confused.

"What's so strange?"

"It's just odd," Toadette said, "that you can remember things like that." Luigi nodded slowly, having it the first time for someone to say such a thing to him.

"Do you remember the order of the other executions?" Toadette continued. "How about the first one?"

"Err, let's see," Luigi thought. "I think it went Birdo, Daisy...and then me, then Peach, and then you, and then Rawk Hawk. Is that right?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Toadette said with a laugh. "It's probably right. You have an incredible memory." Luigi shrugged modestly.

* * *

Blooper: _I guess we won the Koopa Spelling __challenge. No, I take that back. We DID win the challenge.__ I thought it was fairly easy, but also suspicious seeing how Lakitu was able to stop the __Mecha-Koopas by clapping__ accidentally.__ I tried my best by telling Lakitu directions__ throughout the game__, but how would I know__ that it would end up bothering him? Lakitu is making excuses._

Lakitu: _Blooper was able to distract me for a lengthy ten minutes before I could catch the easiest Mecha-Koopa. The Pom-poms and the jacket, and all the useless talking factored into the wasting __of time. Maybe it was all intentional. Who knows the truth except for him?_

The air was frigid. Blooper was trying his best to tolerate his surroundings. Lakitu took no effort in hiding his agony, jumping from step to step. He, who was carrying the robot since they had left from the pen, had dropped it in the midst of covering his body.

"The games are just about to get harder," McHallyboo said to the ones behind him, shielding his face with his hat.

"How much harder?" Lakitu replied.

"You'll see."

"Humph, you'll see," Lakitu repeated sarcastically. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around his face, then grabbed onto Blooper as a guide.

"I'm guessing that this was only the beginning of the penultimate episode," said Blooper, who reluctantly let Lakitu grab onto him. "But already, we've gathered a third of the full maximum pot value."

"How much exactly would that be?" Lakitu asked him.

"Umm, exactly one hundred and sixty three thousand, five-hundred coins," Blooper recited. "Isn't that right, Mickerhallyboo?" McHallyboo wasn't listening.

"It doesn't help to know that one of us will be a loser, and that the other person would be the winner of everything," Blooper admitted. "I would think it devastating for the loser, getting all this far and getting nothing in return."

"And one would be the Mole," Lakitu said from under his jacket.

"Of course one would be the Mole," Blooper pointed out. They continued to trudge through the plains, with the town being nowhere in sight.

"I wonder what Luigi and Toadette are doing," said Lakitu.

* * *

Luigi was outside, looking for any additional item in the junkyard to add on for the final time. Toadette rearranged the orders of the items in the television; the brick on the bottom, the bundle of straw in the middle, and the single stick on top of it all. 

"Phew, it's a chilly," Luigi said, shivering and closing the door as he made his way into the exhibit. He stared nervously at the sickle hanging from the ceiling as he walked to Toadette.

"Is that real?" he asked her, pointing at the piece of work.

"I think so," Toadette said. "There's no beauty in a fake object. No matter how dangerous." She stood up suddenly.

"I think we might be finished." Luigi inspected their art work closely.

"Should we leave the glass inside the television along with the brick and the other stuff?" he asked her. "It looks shattered and messy."

"No, let's keep it," she said. "But maybe we should cut the antennae from the top of the television. See that magician hat over there?" She pointed to one of the other art works, of the hat with a diamond-tipped comb sticking out from the hole in the top.

"Yeah, let's not a make it look the same," agreed Luigi. He grabbed a pair of scissors that he had found in the junkyard and carefully cut of the first antenna. The rod fell to the ground, and Toadette picked it up.

"Let's not waste this," Toadette said. "I think we could fit this somewhere."

"We have enough," Luigi said to her, cutting the other antenna. Toadette shook her head and thought of another idea.

Luigi: _I'm always being under the idea that maybe girls are just a more__ imaginative than the other sector. Well, it's just that maybe girls have a smarter brain in makeup, and f__ashion, and clothing, but guys are smarter s__cholar-wise and know how to look tough._

"Give me the scissors," she ordered.

* * *

"So, uh," Lakitu started, still covering his face from the cold atmosphere. "Hot or cold?" 

"Why?" said Blooper. "Is this some sort of test?"

"Hot or cold?"

"Hot."

"Dry or wet?"

"Dry."

"Vanilla or Chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"Chicken or fish?"

"Fish."

"Are you the Mole?" Blooper stopped for a moment.

"That's not going to work," he answered, almost in triumph. Lakitu lifted off the jacket and snapped his fingers.

"Darn," he said with a grin. "Rapid fire questions never work."

"But wait, I _am_ the Mole," Blooper told him. "I'm the Mole."

"Stupid Blooper," Lakitu said jokingly. "You're not supposed to tell me that, are you nuts?"

"Am I not?" Blooper replied with surprise. "Shoot." He raised his tentacle in the air.

"But I know who the Mole is," Blooper said.

"Because it's you!" Lakitu shouted. He laughed and sighed.

"I find it odd how a squid like you could make it this far," Lakitu said. "You have almost, let's say, no ability to do things. No offense."

Lakitu: _Blooper's a squid, and it's hard to say whether I would have chosen to be born as a squid or not. So if Blooper does turn out to be the Mole, which h__e has a good chance to be, then he's been doing three jobs at on__ce; being h__imself, being a nonfunctional creature, and being the Mole. _

"I have as much as an advantage than any of you other guys," Blooper said, un-insulted by Lakitu's comment. "How about you? How are you functioning without a cloud all of a sudden?" Lakitu was taken back and chuckled.

* * *

Toadette had cut the antennae rods into tiny pieces of metal, an action that took her ten minutes by herself. After she was done, she picked them up into her hands. 

"What are you going to do now?" asked Luigi, expecting an imaginative response.

"I'm going to add this with the shattered glass." Toadette threw the pieces into the television and littered the metal around the brick, straw, and stick in a heterogeneous manner.

"All that for that?" Luigi said, stunned. "That was utterly pointless!"

"Umm, I wouldn't be talking, Mr. I-Suck-at-art," Toadette said to him. She smiled. Luigi sighed heavily.

"All done," said Toadette. "What do you think?"

"I feel like this is all we need," Luigi said with agreement. "We made a masterpiece! I feel like Van Gough, or a sculptor in this manner. I mean, if a you like it, then I a like it."

"The critic is coming in an hour," Toadette said, looking at the clock. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," Luigi said. "Maybe, well, maybe we can a work together." Toadette looked confused and pointed to the television.

"No," Luigi said, in quieter voice. "Work, as in for this game. Hint, coalition." Toadette looked at him, as Luigi looked at her hopefully.

"Oh," said Toadette. "A coalition?" He nodded.

"What does your human nature tell you?" she asked him.

"It tells me that we should form a coalition," Luigi said.

"Well, usually it should say something along the words of apprehension and empathy," Toadette explained. "You see, it doesn't just go one way when you try to bark up the wrong tree. It also uses common sense within it too."

"I don't see all of that," Luigi told her, confused.

Luigi: _Maybe Toadette wouldn't want to be in a coalition with me, because I'm already in a pair with Blooper. She probably knows that one of us is the Mole. Lakitu is probably clueless, but I don't think he would be willing to form a coalition with anyone._

"So overall, I couldn't work anything out with Peach," said Toadette. "It's because I didn't look at human nature, and besides that, our coalition wasn't even a coalition. If you empathize at another point of view, things would work out. Trust me." Luigi nodded slowly.

"So I guess that's a no," Luigi said with disappointment.

* * *

"I remember on our first challenge," Lakitu said suddenly. "You had a watch on your wrist, and you weren't allowed to take it off when you jumped. How much did that sucker cost?" 

"Like, 1,500 coins," Blooper said, remembering the incident clear in his mind.

"We were all suspicious," Lakitu said with thought. "You could have used the watch as an excuse to not jump."

"But I did jump," Blooper pointed out.

"Yeah, which makes you even more suspicious," Lakitu said. Blooper frowned.

"See, you risked to volunteer to jump, in sacrifice of a watch which cost you a fortune," Lakitu told him. "But why would you risk your watch if you were never guaranteed to get the money at all? Maybe the whole watch thing was a set up." Blooper looked hard at him.

"Then I volunteered to jump first out of the blue."

"Okay, that makes you even more of a suspect than anyone else," Blooper said with realization. "You were the one to volunteer for the first jump! How is that not fishy?"

"Okay, then what happened?" Lakitu tried to recall. "Oh! Toadette was all like, 'I'm scared of heights!' and didn't want to jump. She held us up for about an hour, and so I'm just standing there, looking up at the sun and getting my eyes cooked out."

"And then Luigi screwed the entire game up by giving his cap to Rawk Hawk, which was against the rules," finished Blooper. "And that was the end of our winning streak. Thanks a lot, plumber." He and Lakitu laughed.

"Would the Mole really try to sabotage on the first day?" Lakitu thought. "It would make sense for the Mole not to avert suspicion towards him or her at the beginning. Or maybe they're using reverse psychology." He scratched his chin.

* * *

Luigi and Toadette had finished, and in their spare hour, decided to evaluate the other five pieces of art like critics themselves. 

"And so," concluded Luigi, looking at the last piece of art, "I call this piece of work a horror masterpiece, which Goths would find pleasure in." Toadette giggled and looked at the noose-sickle work of art.

"What's up with this one being here?" Toadette questioned. "I bet you the art critic will eliminate this one in a flash."

"Is someone at the door?" Luigi said in alarm. They heard outside the door of the museum open, and with a slam it closed shut behind the individual who had entered in. Luigi held his breath.

"It's the critic!" he whispered. "Quick, clean the floor around the television!" Toadette ran back to their piece of work and picked up the pieces of scraps around it, something that would have been a huge giveaway for the critic. She gave the garbage to Luigi, who hid them under his cap.

"Okay," Toadette whispered back. "Stand straight, look your best." The art critic had finally approached the door to the certain gallery room, in where the two players stood as silent as they could. Almost as silent as the Mole is with concealing their true identity.

**

* * *

Sorry for the long update. All the Super Smash Bros. Brawl stuff is pretty overwhelming.**

It's is the penultimate episode, just one away from the finale. Four players have courageously made it this far. Well, one is taking a free pass, but it still counts nonetheless.

The "Who Will Win" poll is closed. The results? Toadette has the majority at 4 votes, Luigi second with 3, Lakitu with 2, and lastly, Blooper with no votes at all. Just how true will the poll really serve?

Stay tuned for the rest of the challenge, and after that, my favorite challenge from the Mole 2 visits the Mario world!


	25. Odds Against Art

**I hate long updates! Krisetchers is a very slow author. I mean, even the Mole is getting tired of waiting. Anyway, here's part 3!****

* * *

**

**Episode 6 (Part 3)**

McHallyboo entered.

"Greetings," he said. The two players let out a small, simultaneous sigh.

"Phew," said Toadette. "I thought you were the art critic. I mean, we did finish, but we didn't think she would come so soon."

"What makes you think it's a she?" Toadette paused at McHallyboo's statement.

"I am the art critic," McHallyboo finished.

"You're…an art critic?" Luigi said with surprise. "I never knew that!"

"Oh," said Toadette, smiling and putting her hand up to her mouth.

Toadette: _I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite in denial, but because I'm a girl it's okay to be sexist._

"I am the art critic indeed," the host told them. "Surprised? I have an M.A. degree in Art History and Criticism, and up this day had I ever been reminded of such the fact."

"Wow, uh, that's cool," Luigi added. "And impressive! It's good that we finished in time."

"Yeah, it's very coincidental indeed," said McHallyboo. "But now the Exhibit challenge has begun, and here are the rules." He closed the door behind him.

"I as the art critic will be looking around at these six pieces of art. Out of these six, I'm assuming that one of these is yours, one that you had been working on and finishing up in the past four hours. I hope you had cleverly disguised yours to blend in with the others, because after I'm done I'm going to determine which one of these is the one you two had constructed. If you can fool me, I'll add 7,500 coins to the pot. If I pick yours out, you win nothing."

"Okay," said Toadette, who looked back Luigi, who smiled widely.

"Be my guest," Luigi said to the host. "Look around!"

"I will in the immediate," he replied. The two players followed McHallyboo as he approached the center of the art exhibition. He turned around to the left, to the first piece of art; the top hat with the diamond-tipped comb sticking out from its top.

"Very unique, yes," McHallyboo said in a thoughtful voice. "This one is supposedly representing vanity, the way a comb and a hat goes together in this piece."

"And the diamond too," Luigi added. The three of them went on to the second work of art; the shattered glass upon the multi-colored Plexiglas.

"The theme of this is light," observed the host. "Such shattered debris is a symbol of destruction and war, but then the rainbow that is formed counters it. Maybe the artist is saying that through no circumstances you'll find endless trouble and that there is…what is it?"

"Always a rainbow at the end!" Luigi finished. Toadette giggled, as they moved on to the art with the arrows.

"Love is obviously visible here," he said. "And it might be such a theme that you guys may have simply thought up. I don't see any difficulty in making arrows form the outline of a heart on the wall."

"Yup," said Luigi. "Maybe it's ours." They continued to the fourth art exhibit; the one the two of them had made. Both players were silent as McHallyboo observed it.

"I get the feeling that those three elements were chosen out of no coincidence," he commented, pointing at the brick, straw, and stick among the shattered debris inside the television.

"But…I see no true theme here." Luigi and Toadette held their breaths.

"On second thought," McHallyboo continued, "This work of art might have also been by the same artist that created the multi-colored Plexiglas one I had seen previously." Toadette silently grabbed Luigi's hand, and he looked back at her with a smile.

"Of course that can't be ours," Luigi said to McHallyboo. Toadette stared at Luigi in disbelief.

Toadette: _If you say to someone, "That can't be ours", then it's obviously yours! I was afraid that Luigi had just given us away._

"Don't, say, anything else," Toadette whispered to Luigi as they walked over to the fifth piece of art.

"Why not?" he said back in a confused voice. McHallyboo stopped in front of the band-aid covered ladder and looked at it keenly.

"The lone comment I have on this one is that it's well made, not impacting on symbolism, but symbolic enough to be understood." Toadette frowned as they moved on to the last piece of work in the room.

"Oh, god," McHallyboo said with a moan. Luigi and Toadette laughed.

"I am going to exclude this one from being chosen," he added. They followed the art critic through the gallery once again as he examined each one for a second time, especially three of them in certain. He pointed to the heart-arrow art and the ladder.

"Those two I will eliminate," he declared. Toadette looked at her partner with disappointment.

"Hey, he's still a clueless," Luigi whispered to her.

"No, I am not clueless," the host said. He went back to the art work with the Plexiglas.

"I feel the analytical sense here," he said out loud, "which mixes with how the glass is performed and shaped to match unevenness throughout." He stepped to the side to stare at it from another glance. The mustached plumber did the same thing.

"This, I am assuming, is not yours." Luigi looked uneasy all of a sudden.

"Toadette, how much time did you have to work on your piece of art?" McHallyboo questioned.

"Three or four hours," she said, unsure. "We started at 11:00 A.M. and now it's almost four."

"That would be five hours," he corrected. "Do not lie to an art critic." Toadette didn't smile. Then, McHallyboo turned directly to the television art piece for his last time.

"I see that this is an allusion to the Three Little Pigs," he said with thought. "And an idea like this does not follow the others uniformly." He picked up a piece of metal from inside the TV.

"Making these is something that could be done in a time limit of five hours," he said observantly, "especially when your ideas have reached an end of creativity." He stood up from his kneeling position.

"I say that the television against the hat is more detailed than the corresponding item," he concluded, "and that in choice and in favor, I officially decide that Luigi Mario and Toadette Rytoad had created this piece of work!" He stood admirably next to the art piece as a final answer.

"Booooooo," Luigi mumbled. "You a got it right. Darn!"

"Yeah, that's ours," said Toadette with full disappointment. "You spotted it, congratulations."

"You guys don't sound so happy," McHallyboo told them. "But don't worry in the slightest. That was only half the challenge." The two of them looked surprised.

"Follow me, quickly!" the host said, as Luigi and Toadette followed him out of the room, across the museum lobby, and into another room which held monitors displaying a live recording of the art exhibit they were just in.

* * *

Luigi: _I guess we just thought that we would do well in the Exhibit challenge, having worked so hard and having believed our television masterpiece was the best. But McHallyboo was able to __spot it! I thought Toadette put a lot of work into the art to make it look fashionable, or fancy, but now I know that the Three Little Pigs idea wasn't the best. But we tried, no?_

Toadette: _I thought the challenge was unfair because we had to trick an experienced art critic into determining that our amateur piece of art was authentic. The thing that bothered me most was that I think Luigi's talking triggered some sort of giveaway, resulting in McHallyboo's decision that the television was ours. If you tell someone something along the words of "This is not the one we created", then it's the one you created! I think Luigi definitely tried to do something._

* * *

_The game was only half-way done, like I had said. Two more critics were going to try this time to determine which one of the pieces of art Luigi and Toadette had created._

"It burns!" exclaimed Lakitu, entering the warm building of the Elsom Bob-omb Art Gallery Museum. Blooper followed right behind him, taking off his jacket but still holding them in his tentacles.

"I'm never going to take an outdoor option ever again in my life," Lakitu declared, as Blooper laughed.

"I'll have to agree on that," said Blooper. "Say, um, let's go enter that door." He pointed to the blue door, closest to the entrance.

"Hey hey hey, not so fast," said an appearing McHallyboo. They both jumped back, startled.

"Crap, you scared us," Lakitu admitted.

"That makes me know that I'm doing my job," the host replied. "Just wait till the next challenge after this one, and then you'll really be scared of me." The two players could only imagine the worst.

"So I am completely clueless," Blooper stated. "Why are we at this art museum?" The host pushed open the blue door in front of them, and the three of them entered slowly. Still in place were the six works of art, scattered but neat around the room. Blooper and Lakitu looked at the sight with speculation.

"In case you didn't know, I am an art critic with a M.A. degree in Art History and Criticism," McHallyboo started.

"We weren't wondering," blurted Lakitu. For a second, nobody said anything. Then the three of them burst into laughter.

"Lakitu, you really messed everyone up to this point," said Blooper, who then faced the door to close it.

"Be quiet, I'm the host," continued McHallyboo with amusement. "Like I previously said, I have a M.A. degree in Art History and Criticism." He looked sharply at Lakitu, who this time held back from any verbal procedures.

"So our challenge is---"

"During this whole time, Luigi and Toadette had been playing a game of their own, just like you guys had been. They were given a task to make their own art masterpiece and hide it among these other five, in the attempt to prevent an art critic in spotting theirs out. I was able to spot theirs. Unfortunately, now it's time for you guys to pick theirs out. You guess correctly, you add 7,500 coins to the team pot. Understand? Look around and get started." As he went to lean against the wall on the opposite side, Blooper and Lakitu walked into the section of the art gallery.

"I would say that this one might be theirs," said Blooper, looking at the hat with the diamond-tipped comb coming out from the top. "It's simple, and imaginative."

"This one is definitely a choice," agreed Lakitu.

* * *

In the museum room across from the two players, Luigi and Toadette watched on a monitor screen the actions and words of Blooper and Lakitu as they observed each and every piece of art. 

"Shoot, I think they've been convinced that the first one is ours," Toadette noticed.

"Already?" Luigi said in surprise. "It's only the first a one!" They watched the screen as the two other players walked over to the Plexiglas masterpiece. Clearly, they heard their words.

_Lakitu_: "I find this one really detailed, and hard to make."

_Blooper: _"But I think that this is the type of work Toadette would do, because it's colorful and has a happier theme to it."

_Lakitu:_ "Nah, let's skip this one." They both moved on to the heart on the wall.

_Blooper:_ "This is also very girl-ish. Possible Toadette's idea."

_Lakitu: _"Yeah, but I find a hard time believing that Luigi with agree with an idea like this. But…maybe the idea of arrows was his part in this one." They went on to the fourth masterpiece; the television.

_Blooper: _"I don't see how this could be theirs. There's a lot of glass that both Luigi and Toadette would be uncomfortable to associate with.

_Lakitu: _"There's a brick, a bundle of straw, and I think that's a stick inside there too."

_Blooper: _"Overall, let's eliminate this one."

"Holy crap," whispered Luigi.

"Why was Blooper so determined to eliminate ours?" Toadette said, almost to herself.

"I have no clue why, but hopefully they'll change their minds," Luigi said hopefully. The other two players stepped toward the ladder against the wall.

_Blooper:_ "Hum, since this is covered in band-aids, it probably shows how ladders hurt you when you fall from them."

_Lakitu: _"Yeah, danger. This is mega symbolism."

_Blooper:_ "Doesn't Luigi always get hurt while travelling with Mario?"

"I do not!" blurted Luigi at the screen.

_Lakitu: _"The ways the band-aids are covering the metal seem patterned, and way too detailed to be something that Luigi and Toadette did."

"The band-aids do not have a pattern," Toadette argued. "What is up with them? They're considering all the art pieces that aren't ours! This game is the devil."

"Easy, did you just hear them?" Luigi said. "Lakitu just said that it's too detailed to be ours. That's one for five!" Finally, they approached the last art exhibit in the gallery.

_Blooper:_ "Wow…it's a noose hanging from the ceiling---"

_Lakitu_: "With a sickle attached to the loop? This is creepy and without doubt is not the one we're looking for. Not to mention that it's physically impossible for Toadette to reach up there."

_Blooper:_ "But Luigi could easily reach there, with a ladder. He's taller than Mario, and even Mario could hang the noose from the ceiling.

_Lakitu: _"Are you saying that the ladder is theirs?"

_Blooper: _"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, possibly they're trying to trick us. This piece of art is the most simple to make, and looks dangerous. But maybe Luigi and Toadette used these deadly objects to, earlier on, try to throw off McHallyboo."

_Lakitu: _"Hold on a second. You say that Luigi and Toadette are scared to be near pieces of glass in the television art, yet are able to handle an object that could slice someone in half? What the hell, Blooper!"

_Blooper: _"So no for this one?"

_Lakitu: _"No! I mean, yes! Now you're making me confused."

They reached the end of the gallery, which meant that they had to go back to the start. Though with that, they were still prohibited from taking a second look at each art piece. McHallyboo requested for their final answer.

"Now that you have both seen the six pieces of art from this gallery, it's time to decide," the host said. "Which masterpiece did Toadette and Luigi create?"

"Let's put up two nominees," decided Blooper. "I go for the first one with the top hat and the diamond."

"Uh, the arrow heart on the wall," Lakitu added. He pulled out a coin from his pocket.

"Heads for the arrows, tails for the hat." Blooper nodded, as Lakitu flipped the coin into the air once and caught it in his outstretched palm.

"Tails." Blooper smiled.

"We decide that the top hat on the floor, the first one, is the one that Luigi and Toadette created," Lakitu said for his final answer.

"Okay," replied McHallyboo, as he pointed directly at one of the video cameras in the corner of the white room. "Luigi and Toadette, do you see me? Come down to this room right now." A few seconds passed by, and it was a long wait until the two players emerged through the blue doors and into the gallery.

"Hey a guys!" Luigi announced. "We were watching your every move!"

"How special," said Lakitu. "So tell us, is the hat yours?"

"Alas, no," Luigi told them. "Sorry, we don't get the 7,500 coins." Lakitu and Blooper shrugged.

"Oh, that stinks," said Blooper with disappointment. "Then which one was it?" The two players followed the two artists as they went up to the all-important piece of art.

"It was this one!" Toadette exclaimed. "The television! We even put a clue of the Three Little Pigs to catch your attention." Lakitu scratched his head.

"This was the art piece that we didn't even consider," Lakitu admitted. "We eliminated this one first out of all five."

"Why?" she asked. "Do we suck that badly?"

"I really don't know," he replied.

"Ahem," said the host, clearing his throat. "You guys failed the entirety of the art challenge, both in the Critic Tricking and Genuine Identifying sections. Out of the 15,000 coins that might have been gained, you get nothing."

_Team Pot_

**163,500c**

"Now we come to part Part 2 of the Koopa Spelling challenge," he continued. "This being for Luigi and Toadette solely. Answer this question for 7,500 coins; If Blooper was to decide to bury a Mecha-Koopa, and Lakitu was to dig a hole ten feet deep, eight feet long, and eighteen feet wide for it to be placed in, how much dirt there would be in the hole he dug? Thirty seconds."

"I'm not good at math," Luigi said nervously.

"You multiply," Toadette told him. "I think it would be length, times width, times height. So ten, times eight, times eighteen. Oh, I can't do that!"

"Wait a second," Luigi said slowly. "If you dig a hole, there's no dirt in it at all."

"That's the answer?" Toadette asked him. "Are you sure?"

"Yup, I'm sure of it!" he replied proudly. "This is a trick question! The answer is that there is no dirt."

"Correct," said McHallyboo. Both Lakitu and Blooper seemed relieved, as Luigi jumped up with triumph and hugged Toadette.

"I guess this makes up for the entire Art exhibit loss," Blooper said to them. "So I guess that means we earned fifteen thousand coins in total, earned all from the Koopa Spelling challenges."

_**Team Pot**_

**171,000c**

"The pot-a makes me so-a nervous!" Luigi said out loud.

"Yeah, me too," said Lakitu. He looked up, at the window that displayed nothing but the dark sky.

Lakitu: _Winning this game would change my life forever, but now it's not just me any more who needs this. My wife, my family, everyone in my future who will use this money to live. That's why I'm still playing this game._

* * *

Dinner was served late at a five-star hotel. None of the four players took this treatment for granted; they ate as humbly, slowly, and loud as they could. It was a table of chatting. 

"I might want to sue the Mole afterwards," Luigi told the others, "for a giving me all this unneeded and ridiculous stress throughout this entire month."

"I'm with you," said Lakitu, laughing and pouring himself another glass of wine. In the middle of the table sat three bottles of the freshest wine, something unusual to spot but ignored nonetheless.

"Okay, I don't know why you would bother suing the Mole," Blooper said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "And plus, the producers would never allow you to do that."

"McHallyboo would!" Lakitu piped up. He finished the remaining wine in his glass in a single gulp. Toadette put down her menu and stared at him.

"I hope you're not getting drunk," she said. "Otherwise, we'd like to share the wine on the table instead of binge drinking it."

"And we didn't even ask for wine," Blooper mumbled. He poured himself his second glass. Lakitu poured his fifth.

"Hey, waiter," Toadette called out. The waiter, dressed in blue, came to their table.

"I'll have the broccoli quiche," she ordered.

"Yes, it is so lovely," he said to her, as if he was reciting something from the recipe cookbook. "Such tenderness, made only from the highest quality ingredients---half and half cream and natural Swiss cheese in a garlic cream cheese pastry."

"Wait, eww, garlic," she said. "Never mind."

"Recommendations?" Luigi asked.

"Today's salad is the Waldorf Salad. It consists of fine sliced apple and celery, chopped walnuts, mayonnaise or a mayonnaise-based dressing, and crispy slices of what is known as tofu. It was first created around 1893 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City."

"Oooh, I'll have a Waldorf salad," Toadette ordered. "No garlic, then no complaints."

"Screw that, I'm taking a cheeseburger," said Lakitu. He finished his fifth glass of wine and went for his sixth.

"Hmm, I'll just have the Shrimp Scampi Pasta," Blooper ordered, handing the waiter his menu.

"And you, sir in green?" the waiter said.

"Meatballs and spaghetti," Luigi said. Lakitu burst out laughing as the waiters went off with their orders.

"What?"

"I might be drunk," admitted Lakitu. "I'm a ---- out of luck if we're going to have to play a game tonight." Toadette rolled her eyes. Blooper nodded, not knowing what to say. Luigi laughed with him in delight.

By the end of dinner that night, all three bottles of wine were empty. The players were more than happy to find out that the hotel was indeed their staying place for the night, and exhausted, each one of them fell asleep in their own separate, individual room. However, only one of them would be sleeping back at the hotel for the next night. For the other three, there would be alternate accommodations to be chosen from.

* * *

**Accommodations, as in disturbing rooms to spend the night in. So who will be the lucky player to miss out on the next game?**

**And I also have something else to say. Yes, it's true. In this game, there could either be:**

**1 Mole**

**or 2 Moles!**

**Could there have really been two Moles this entire time? Or is there just a single person? And also...**

**...no Mole at all! Yes, this is all true! Either one of these three statements are true. But wait! There's even more!**

**3 Moles! Yes, as possibly true as ever! And even the most extreme,**

**McHallyboo is the Mole! Too extreme, you say?**

**Fine, there is only 1 Mole, and he or she is doing a pretty good job so far in sabotaging. Have you figured out who that is?**

**P.S. NEW POLL, and it's a disturbing one.**


	26. Where Will YOU Sleep?

**Episode 6 (Part 4)**

Rest was satisfied, which meant that the players were down at the lobby in the nick of time from the time they were awakened. Toadette arrived first and took the entirety of the couch by lying down. Luigi, who arrived second, sat on the arm rest. When Lakitu came, he forced Toadette to stop captivating all the comfort and gave Luigi a proper spot to sit in. The last to arrive was Blooper. Strangely, he didn't even bother to sit down.

"Did you take a shower?" Lakitu asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "For some reason I woke up early, and decided to get ready early. I was just preparing some stuff, that's all."

"Okay," said Lakitu, looking hard at him.

Toadette: _Blooper told us that he was getting some things ready in the morning, which is strange because we didn't really do anything last night._

Lakitu:_ Blooper didn't drink any wine at all during dinner, which is the reason why he was able to wake up early in the morning to do something. I'm beginning to think that the Mole is him._

Luigi: _I'm keeping my left eye out for Lakitu and my right eye out for Toadette._

"Did you like the food yesterday?" Blooper asked them all. "I should have ordered the Waldorf Salad. Shucks, this isn't fair."

"I had the worst stomachache last a night," Luigi told the others.

"That's because you didn't drink any wine," Lakitu said in a dreamy voice. "You should have tried it, you could have even tasted the sulfites in it."

"Sulfites?" Luigi repeated. "No more wine for me from now on." McHallyboo appeared out of nowhere, or rather, from behind them. The players, already used to his creepy antics, laughed.

"Guys, I have a message for you," he said.

"Don't you always," said Luigi.

"The Mole decided to break into room 401 and leave a message on the wall," McHallyboo told them in his most apprehensive voice, "which happened to be the room of one of the producers. In all Scrabbled up, I mean, if you look at it then maybe it will give you a clue."

"Maybe we should all go take a look," Blooper said, looking at the others.

"That's exactly what I was going to say," said the host. "But since it's, well, top secret, only one can go at a time. Who wants to go first?" Nobody decided to step forwards.

"Ladies first," he concluded. Toadette rolled his eyes as McHallyboo escorted her, through the hall and into a room on the left, Room 401. There, McHallyboo took out a blindfold from his coat pocket and straightened it out. Toadette looked directly at the wall, at the scrabble board that hung like a painting. Before she could make out any of the words, the host quickly placed the blindfold over her eyes and stepped back.

"I'll be right back," he said. "Try not to take your blindfold while I'm gone." He opened the door and left. Toadette sat still for a moment, thinking about what to do and their consequences. She then took off the cloth from her eyes and went up to the scrabble board.

Toadette: _On the board I saw all these words that had to do with all of us. I saw my name, Luigi's, Blooper's, and Lakitu's. The thing that bothered me was that above my name, it said DEATH, which does not sound good for me. Also attached to my name was the word EXPLODE, so maybe there'll be an explosion later on. But the thing that caught my attention was that in the middle of the scrabble board, I made out MOLE IS MALE. I thought it was a stupid clue, because frankly, the person who made this scrabble board pretty much forgot that one of the players was still female!_

Toadette put back her blindfold on. A half minute later McHallyboo entered into the room.

"It's good to know that you didn't cheat," he said to her. "Follow me back." She was brought back to the lobby, and Blooper was brought second into the room. McHallyboo got an even tighter blindfold and wrapped it around his eyes. But just before his vision was blocked, Blooper was able to see his name going horizontal across the top of the board.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," he said to him. "Keep your blindfold on at all times." McHallyboo closed the door on his way out, but Blooper remained still, sitting on the bed. With folded tentacles, he decided not to look at the board at all.

"Tell us what was in the room!" Luigi said with excitement.

"Okay," said Toadette. "So I went into a room with McHallyboo, and he put a blindfold on me. Then he said to me that I shouldn't take off my blindfold, but then he left the room and I decided to do so."

"Did you get penalized?" Lakitu asked.

"I don't think so," she said. "But anyway, there was a scrabble board on the wall with all our names on it and a lot of other words, like BOAT, and DEATH, and I also think I saw TRAITOR. In the center of the board it said MOLE IS MALE. And Luigi, attached to your name and my name is the word EXPLODE."

"Creepy," said Luigi, shuddering.

"Mole is male?" Lakitu repeated. "Huh. What a givaway. It's either a false clue, automatically stating that Toadette is the mole and ruining the whole game for us, or--"

"Or what?" Luigi said.

"The clue could really mean what it says." Blooper came back, his blindfold off.

"We're running low on time," McHallyboo realized. "I'm sorry to say that only one more player will be allowed to see Room 401. Who will it be?" Lakitu and Luigi looked at each other.

"I want to!" Luigi said without warning. McHallyboo brought him down the hallway as Lakitu folded his arms.

"Did you see the left side of the board?" Toadette asked him.

"I didn't see anything," Blooper said back. "I didn't look at the board. I kept my blindfold on."

Blooper: _It was true that I didn't take off my blindfold. But I was hoping I would be selected for something special if I didn't. I tried peeking, but knowing how harsh penalties were in this game, I didn't dare try to look at all. I thought it was very strange, because Toadette told me that she took off her blindfold. She can be the Mole. If Luigi doe too, then he could also be the Mole._

"There were a lot of words," she said. "There was DEATH, EXPLODE, all our names, MOLE IS MALE--"

"I don't care what the board said," Blooper interrupted rudely. She stopped talking and sat down.

"Good for you," Lakitu said back. "At least Toadette is more informed than you in this game. You probably don't even know what's going on."

"And you probably don't even know how much I know of what's going on," said Blooper, stealing Luigi's seat.

Lakitu: _I'm stuck in my choices for the Mole. I had narrowed it down to Blooper, Luigi, and Toadette before Peach was eliminated. I was hoping that someone other than Peach would have been eliminated instead, so then it could have helped me just a little bit. But now I'm just stuck. I've always been suspecting Toadette, but now my gut instincts say Blooper. Most importantly, Luigi has been attempting sabotage in many places throughout the game, almost as if he's doing them on purpose. _

Toadette: _A lot of the time when Luigi talks, it sounds like he's acting or trying to cover something up. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the Mole all along._

"Okay, Mr. Green," McHallyboo said as he pulled Luigi's blindfold to a close. "Your blindfold is there for a purpose, which means no peeking. Or else." As soon as the host left the room, Luigi untied the cloth and stared at the scrabble board closely.

Luigi: _There were so many letters, it made my head hurt! I started to cheat right after McHallyboo left the room. I saw the word PLUNGER, which went with my occupation. Then there was CLOUD, a word for Lakitu, but also the word CALAMARI, which was connected to TRAITOR. I wasn't sure if the middle really said MOLE IS MALE. But I'm sure that I saw the word POMPOM on the top, which according to what I know, will help me know who the Mole is!_

The door opened. As Luigi hurriedly went back to sitting on the bed, he realized it was too late. McHallyboo looked at him and wagged his finger at the player, in an exaggerated Tsk-tsk gesture.

* * *

McHallyboo brought him back to the lobby, back to the others. Luigi hung his head in shame.

"I told you not to cheat," Blooper said out loud. "Why did you peek Luigi? I mean, uh, why is Luigi so ashamed?" Lakitu and Toadette looked at him.

"I said something rude," the host told them. "I insulted Luigi for being a plumber, that's all."

"Hey, that's not-a true!" Luigi protested. "And I would have been honored if you had really said such a thing!"

"So do we get any money?" Lakitu said hopefully. As McHallyboo shook his head, Lakitu face grew into disappointment.

"Oh, that stinks," Blooper said. "I was hoping that I would get something for the team if I didn't peek."

"I think you did peek," Toadette accused. Blooper shook his head left and right, as best as he could.

* * *

Their next challenge was to come, but when it could occur was always a mystery for them. They began to reflect on their journey so far in the game.

Luigi: _I'm a finally bringing justice to myself for all those moments that Mario overshadowed! This game is exciting, but to make it to the final four? Ayaya, amazing. I feel honored to have my name placed this grand in the game. Does that even make sense? Anyway, I feel giddy and slightly nervous so far._

Blooper: _I feel so glad to have made it this far. I've tried so much to do so. Every execution frightens me so much, even though I don't show it. And I'm just over-relieved to have passed a lot of other people. I did realize that at many times I became extremely stressed, but so far I'm shocked, actually, how far I've made it into the episodes._

Toadette: _Being the only girl is hard because usually it's easier to read people of the same gender as you. I'll be okay if I don't win, because I'll look back at everything and feel pretty awesome in myself. Especially at all those times that I would cry and break down, I would just look back at them and laugh._

_Lakitu__: Crap, I haven't formed a coalition yet. Maybe later, maybe towards the end of this episode right before the execution. But I had fun. Winning isn't everything. I have someone at home who loves me, I have a happy home already, and I have, or will have, a life. So in conclusion, if I get beat, I'll be disappointed, but it'll be cool._

* * *

Dinner was served for the four of them. On the table, instead of numerous bottles of wine like the previous night, there was a peculiar object that they had taken notice of first, before anything else. It would only serve as a foreshadowing clue as to what would be happening in their next challenge.

"It's a plastic bag," Luigi noticed. He opened it up and picked up the glass object inside it. Lakitu grabbed it from him right after.

"It's a test tube full of water," he said, bringing it closer to his eyes to look at. "Or maybe it's not water. Maybe it's...whoa, what is that?" They all leaned closer to examine the small speck of black floating within the vile.

"It's a dead fly!" Luigi shouted. He sat back down in her seat with a disgusted face. Lakitu and Blooper laughed.

"Hey, I empathize," Toadette told them. "That's horrible. I don't find it funny."

"It's a clue," Blooper said with realization. "The fly is a clue, and the water is a clue."

"How is a dead fly a clue?" asked Luigi, sitting back down as far away as he could from it.

"And this plastic bag is also a clue," Blooper continued. "It's showing that someone will be carrying something, or suffocation, or something involving death."

"That's just sad," mocked Lakitu. "You take these things way too seriously."

"No, I agree," said Toadette. "We already had something like right before the Relatives game, so if that was important, then this should be too."

"So if this is important," Lakitu thought, "then our next challenge is probably going to be happening--"

"Tonight."

* * *

It was unusual for a blue moon to appear in the sky before midnight. But all it did was illuminate the shine which entered through every glass pane of the house. It was a rather large house, but not large enough to be called a mansion. None of the windows were shattered, and not a single door in the house or a part of the wooden floor creaked, so the abode wasn't fit enough to be called haunted. But it wasn't comfortable enough to be called a home. Not one place in the house was it titled to be a resting place. And the aroma was odd, odd enough to send an unavoidable shiver down your spine. There were three floors to the house, strung together by strange, Escher-resembling staircases. The strange thing was, only three rooms existed within the place. Three rooms which would serve the necessary accommodations for three lucky victims, in the quiet livings of McHallyboo's Funhouse.

The parlor was neatly lit. A suit of armor guarded the only door to the outside, an item which hindered the only way to true escape. Next to it was a couch, with three petite dolls sitting on each cushion, their eyes fluttering on every occasion. The grandfather clock let out an eerie _DOOONG! _as both hands struck twelve simultaneously. Medical and art degrees littered across the wall, with the name MASON COLES HALLYBOO written in large font on each one. The severed heads of a deer, a bear, and a moose, were stuffed and placed as trophies above the fireplace. A trumpet sat on top of the piano, and under the piano laid an assortment of infant objects in a cradle. A painting of the host was situated over the ignited fireplace, in between the three animal displays. In the center of the room, a table.

"Welcome to McHallyboo's Funhouse," said McHallyboo. "I hope you have as much fun in here as I do." His voice was not the usual, but instead it was a creepy voice, creepier than he had ever spoken before.

"I don't like this," whined Luigi. Lakitu patted his back in a comforting manner.

"My mother built this house for me when I was very small," he continued in his disturbing tone of voice. Everyone laughed lightly. Blooper looked around at his odd surroundings.

"Do you like my dolls, Toadette?" he asked her. "They're very pretty. Sometimes I think they're alive." Toadette covered her face.

"We're finally seeing your true side," Lakitu told him. They all laughed, including McHallyboo, who gave out an unusually high-pitched laugh instead of his normal chuckle.

"I don't like this place," Luigi continued to whine.

"Don't worry," said the host. "Once you sleep here tonight, you'll never want to leave again."

Luigi: _When McHallyboo said the word "sleep", the only thing I could think of was that we were going to have to sleep here tonight, in this haunted house! It's a nightmare._

Blooper: _It's just pondering about what we'll have to do next. It frightens me to know that this house would play a major part in our next challenge, but I wasn't ready to do such a thing so late at night. _

"Tonight, we have some games planned for you in McHallyboo's Funhouse," explained the host. He touched the deck of cards in front of him lightly.

Toadette: _I don't know how this could be a "funhouse" because nobody is having fun at all._

"We all love cards," he said. "So we'll be playing some card games tonight. I can't play because I'm not good at card games. And in these games, only four people are allowed to play. And on top of that, I've already played this game before when I was very little. It was with my three dolls and me, and I tried to win. I really did.

Lakitu: _The more McHallyboo talked the more I started to think that he wasn't acting and that he was slowly getting possessed by some demon in the house. I was ready to run out of the place, but when I turned around to look at the exit I see this huge seven-foot knight statue blocking my way, and I think to myself that this night will be a hell night._

"I'm giving each of you a chip," said the host, handing each of them a blue card. "Each blue card is worth ten thousand coins. If all cards make it to the middle of the table, then that'll add forty thousand coins to the stake pot, an amount of money that would either be added to the team pot later on, or lost, depending on how you play my funhouse in the next challenge. But we'll get to that later." He took the deck of cards that were situated in the dead center of the table into his hands and shuffled them neatly.

"Our first card game will be High Card. Each of you will be dealt a single card, and whoever ends up with the highest value card has to make one of two choices. The first choice is to add your chip into the stake pot. The second choice you have would be to kick another player from the table, and out of this parlor. Once a player is out, they won't be eligible to play our later, fun card games. That would make that person sad, wouldn't it? But this is a game, so feel free to do whatever you want."

"But it'll be stupid if we kick someone out who still has their chip," Toadette said. "So we'll all agree to give our money in. Right?" Lakitu nodded slowly.

"Yeah, nothing wrong with that," Luigi replied. Blooper, sitting right besides him, gave Luigi a nudge, as if he was implying something to him. Luigi didn't get it.

"Okay," continued McHallyboo. He handed them each a card from the top of the deck, face down.

"Flip your cards," he told them. Everyone did as followed:

**Lakitu:** Jack / **Blooper:** Seven / **Toadette:** Three / **Luigi:** Two

"Lakitu has the high card," McHallyboo announced. "You can either add your chip in or kick someone else out." Lakitu looked around at the others before placing his blue card in the center of the table.

"The stake pot now has 10,000 coins," McHallyboo said, who gradually began to convert into his regular tone of voice. He handed everyone but Lakitu a card this time. At the command, they flipped them over.

**Blooper:** Three / **Toadette:** Ten / **Luigi:** Four

"Toadette, you have the high card," McHallyboo said. "Either add your chip in or kick someone else out." Toadette grabbed her blue card and tossed it into the center. With only Blooper and Luigi remaining, they were each dealt a single card for the third time, and then flipped them over.

**Blooper:** King / **Luigi:** Ace

"Luigi," said McHallyboo. "You can kick away Blooper from the table or add your ten thousand coin chip to the center." Luigi looked at Blooper, who looked right back at him. The plumber added his card to the middle.

"Blooper, you now have the choice," McHallyboo said, as Blooper listened. "You can either add your chip into the middle, bringing the stake pot to the maximum of forty thousand coins. Or, you can kick out any other player right this second. What will it be?" Blooper thought considerately, and then looked at the three players around him. He added the fourth chip into the middle of the table, bringing the value to the most it could be.

"Since we've already determined the amount of money that our next challenge would be worth," McHallyboo said conclusively, yet in truth inconclusively, "we'll now get to our little games of eliminations. They will determine who gets to go home and miss the later fun, and which three of you will get to stay here for our later festivities. The last player standing after the games end gets to go back to the hotel and have a pleasant night's sleep. The rest of you, well, we have other accommodations for you, here in McHallyboo's Funhouse. Don't we girls?" At the second the host flashed his eyes in the direction of the dolls, the little eyes fluttered lightly. All the players laughed nervously.

Luigi: _I'm not looking forward to spending the night in McHallyboo's Funhouse!_

"And of course, we have some rewards to give out to some people for being such enthusiastic diners at the restaurant last night," McHallyboo recalled. "Toadette, you were the only person who ordered the Today's Special, the Waldorf Salad, so you get an extra life at these games. If you find yourself eliminated, you'll get a second chance." Toadette smiled and nodded.

"Lakitu, you drank the most glasses of wine last night," said McHallyboo. "We didn't necessarily have to count your glasses to find this fact out. You also get an extra life." Lakitu leaned back with satisfaction.

"Anyone up for a game of spoons?" asked McHallyboo, pulling out three spoons from his coat pocket and placing them in a triangle shape in the center of the table, on top of the chips.

"We'll be passing cards to each other in a cycle, starting with me and ending at the dead pile," he stated. "You are only allowed to have four cards at a time. Once you receive a card from the person on your right, you must get rid of one of your five cards and pass that card along to the person on your left. The objective is to get a four of a kind. Once you have it, you must grab for a spoon from the middle of the table, and that's where it really gets chaotic. The others must grab a spoon before there are none left, but if you're the one left without a spoon then you're out. Understand? Good. Let's start."

"I'm not good at card games," Luigi complained, in a futile effort to change the activity.

"I would be more focused on reflexes and speed," Blooper pointed out. McHallyboo handed Toadette a card, who then had five. She passed one of hers down to Luigi, who passed one of his five cards to Blooper, who removed one of his five cards and gave it to Lakitu, who removed his selected card and placed into the dump pile. The cycle continued, as each of them kept their fast pace but at the same time a lookout for any duplicates that came across their hand. For a full minute, the game went on, with nothing but the sound of cards shuffling and passing from one person to another.

Suddenly, Lakitu grabbed a spoon. Luigi quickly threw his cards to the side and grabbed another. Blooper immediately followed the same action and grabbed the last remaining spoon from the center of the table. Toadette folded her arms and sulked.

"I don't have a spoon!"

"Hush, you have an extra life," reminded McHallyboo. "We'll play again, and this time, if it's not Lakitu who fails this time, somebody will be eliminated. Let's begin again." The game of Spoons repeated for the second time, and the shuffling continued. Blooper had his strategy; he took his eyes off from his own cards and stared at the triangle of spoons in the middle instead.

Blooper: _I had such a great idea, and I never before thought of it until I realized how dangerous it would be to stay in this house. So instead of trying to get four of the same card into my own hand, I watched attentively for the first motion of a spoon grab. In that way, I would assure myself to the next round by grabbing a spoon quick enough, thus get from the house and possibly end up in some special, solo game that's planned for me._

Once again, Lakitu was the first to get four of a kind as he took a spoon. Blooper grabbed the second one; his plan had worked out quite well. Luigi reached over to get the last one, but realized that Toadette had already taken it.

"Luigi, please exit this room," McHallyboo said, pointing towards the direction of the open door. Luigi got up from his chair and walked away nervously. He stood still for a second before disappearing out of view, shaking noticeably on the way out.

"Enjoy my Funhouse," McHallyboo whispered. "Poor Luigi. Always a loser."

"I fear the worst," Lakitu said enthusiastically. "I hope I'll be the one to stay until the end."

"We'll see," Blooper told him. "We'll see who's better at cards."

"Well, that's one of them," McHallyboo mumbled to himself, then looked at the remaining three players. "Now we'll be playing Blackjack. Everyone knows how to play?"

"I don't," said Toadette. Blooper and Lakitu exchanged glances of awe.

"Okay...then," the host explained. "I'll give each of you two cards to start. If you want to hit, I give you another card. Get your card values as close as you can to 21, but if you end up with a hand with a higher total of 21, you bust and you are eliminated. So if you bust, you are out and must stay here in my Funhouse. If I were you I would try my hardest to bust on purpose. If none of you busts though, the person with the lowest total will be eliminated," he finished. "Let's begin our second game for tonight, shall we?" He handed each player a total of two cards, which after everyone was dealt did they flip them over.

**Toadette:** Eight and Seven

**Lakitu:** Jack and Six

**Blooper:** King and Two

"Toadette has 15, Lakitu has 16, and Blooper has 12," McHallyboo counted. From somewhere under the table, or possibly from his sleeves, he pulled out three pieces of thick cloth.

"Remember these?" he asked them. "Blindfold yourselves." The players did so reluctantly.

Lakitu: _I was thinking that McHallyboo would switch our cards while we were blindfolded and add some sort of messed-up twist to the game. But he didn't. Well, at least I don't think he did._

"Raise your hand if you are willing to go for a hit," he stated. Blooper and Lakitu raised their hands.

"Take your blindfolds off," he instructed. They all did. Lakitu kept his arm raised in the air.

"You can put your hand down, Lakitu," said the host, but the player kept his hand up in the air, in the attempt to show the control he had over his own body.

"Fine, do that," the host said with annoyance. "Toadette, I'm guessing you chose to take a stand at 15."

"What does that mean?"

"You chose to stay at your card total of fifteen."

"Oh, yeah."

"Lakitu, you chose to take the option "hit"," McHallyboo said. "Well, here's your third card." Lakitu immediately flipped the card over: another six.

Lakitu: **BUST**

"No!" he exclaimed. "Wait, I still have another life. Yes!"

"If only had you stayed where you were, you would have saved your extra life and put Blooper and Toadette at the risk off elimination instead," McHallyboo informed him. "Now if Blooper hits over 21, we're moving to our next game. If he stays below, we'll do our second game around of Blackjack." Blooper took the card that McHallyboo handed him, and with a small sigh, he flipped over the card: a queen.

Blooper: **BUST**

"Well, congrats Mr. Inke," McHallyboo said in a congratulate voice. "You just won yourself a free ticket to a free night at my lovingly Funhouse! Out that way, and enjoy your day, err, night."

Blooper sat where he was, a bit stunned. He then shuffled out of his chair to stand up.

"I still have a chance at playing well later on," he said strangely, before passing the knight of armor on his way out. The clock struck ten minutes past midnight, and a cuckoo-bird with a strikingly familiar hat popped out, its beaks opening and closing as it let out an eerie croak, almost like the sound of a dying frog.

"Everything here is just creepy," Toadette noticed.

"Of course he is, Blooper's always strange," Lakitu added. "But the weirder thing is that you, Ms. Rytoad, and I, Mr. Clouda, will be having an intense one-on-one action card battle based on the game of...what's the last game by the way?"

"Poker, of course," said McHallyboo, collecting all the scattered cards around the table and shuffling them drastically.

"This will determine who gets to go back to the hotel for a pleasant night's sleep, and who has to stay here and suffer, I mean, enjoy my games that are planned here for tonight, in McHallyboo's Funhouse. You'll be playing against each other. The one who ends up with the highest poker hand ranking is the winner. No-pair hands are worth nothing, and they are also known as garbage hands, if that helps you out. Another rule; suits mean nothing. Say goodbye to flushes" Lakitu got five cards, and Toadette got five cards.

Toadette: **Ace, Ace, Three, Two, Five**

Toadette: _My father used to play poker and he always told me to expect the other person to have a higher value than you think that have. I had numbers that almost went in a sequential order, so if I traded in my ace and received a four, I would get a straight, which I hope would beat what Lakitu has._

Lakitu: **Three, Nine, Eight, King, Three**

Lakitu: _I have a pair, which means that I'm not near death. But by the way Toadette is touching her cards, I think that she probably has a full house or a two pair at the least. This is totally risky if I try to give up one of my three's, so it's probably better not to go too risky and discard all of my cards. I'll probably beat Toadette if I get a full house myself._

Lakitu discarded his nine, eight, and king. He was handed three replacement cards back into his hand

Lakitu: **Three, Seven, Queen, Three, Three**

Toadette discarded her ace and drew another card.

Toadette: **Ace, Five, Three, Two, Five**

"Players," McHallyboo said. "Reveal your hands." The two remaining players did so nervously.

Lakitu: **Three of a Kind**

Toadette: **One Pair**

"Lakitu is our winner!" announced McHallyboo, clapping his hands with delight. "I'm sorry to say that you WONT' be staying here tonight, but instead, you'll be going back to that same, dull hotel. Toadette on the other hand, you get to stay here with the rest of us!"

"No!"

"Yeah!" Lakitu said with a wide grin. "No torture for me."

"Please, let us all exit." McHallyboo and the two players stood up and exited the parlor. As Lakitu went left with McHallyboo and a big smile on his face, Toadette walked right, further down into the gloomy hallway. Lakitu turned around and gave her a supportive thumbs-up, but Toadette didn't even bother to turn around. Somewhere, through the darkness that lay in front of her, Blooper and Luigi were waiting, waiting uneasily in one of the many horror rooms that created the existence of McHallyboo's Funhouse.

**The Mole is feeling extra comfortable right now! But just how comfortable can the Mole become when covered in flies and rotting meat? Or trapped to drown or suffocate?**

**My profile has the Scrabble Board. Good luck in finding any clues, if any. Please review if you'd like, about who you think the Mole is at this moment!**


	27. The McHallyboo Hotel

**Episode 6 (Part 5)**

Blooper and Luigi were sitting at the table, in the middle of the parlor.

"How'd you guys end up here?" Toadette asked.

"It's a madness!" Luigi whined. "I was so close to winning. I hate this game! I ruined my chances!" Blooper rolled his eyes.

"I haven't the slightest clue," he murmured. "We went through some room paradox and ended up finding a room we had just been in."

"Oh, and I got so hyped for nothing," Luigi continued to complain.

"Don't worry," said Toadette. "I think we all know that Lakitu's a cheater when it comes to games. Cards are not even a game for girls. It's for guys who like to gamble and lose money."

"You don't suppose he's the Mole," Blooper said, folding his tentacles. "Because I'm almost a hundred percent sure I know who the Mole is."

"Because it's you," Toadette realized. "Shut up and stop saying that."

"That's quite absurd," Blooper replied, raising his voice. Luigi looked at the fireplace, lit and blazing. He wished that he was back home instead of having to spend a night in a stranger's house.

"I know who the Mole is," said Luigi quietly.

Luigi: _Blooper could not be the Mole, but maybe he could be. He's been switching my mind a lot, and if he turns out to be the Mole, then he's been swimming under my radar a lot._

Blooper: _The more people begin to suspect me, the more I smile to myself, especially when it's this far in the game. I'll move on to the end when people keep saying my name._

Luigi: _The thing that's frightful is that I'm not sure whether Toadette and Lakitu think that I, Luigi, is the M-O-L-E or Blooper is the M-O-L-E._

Toadette: _I was sure that the Mole was a guy ever since Daisy left...well, I guess I was right!_

Lakitu: _I don't care who the Mole is right now, because I'm going back to the hotel, baby! Kisses to my girl!_ (blows a kiss to the camera)

"Hello," McHallyboo said, entering the parlor. "I had just sent Lakitu back home. It took him quite a while to accept the fact that he wasn't going to be able to sleep here overnight, much to his dismay. But you guys get to! We'll have so much fun together, won't we?" The three of them exchanged glances.

"Here are your sleeping arrangements for tonight," he continued, putting down seven playing cards on the table, face-down. "We'll be playing one more card game, and I promise you that this will be the funnest one of them all. We'll be playing card gift exchange. One person flips one over and keeps it, the next person can steal or get a new one, and so on. Who wants to go first?" Nobody said anything, like usual.

"Ladies first again," he instructed. "Toadette, choose a card and flip it over." Toadette grabbed the middle card from the row and turned it over.

**The Conservatory: **

**A house of glass that holds much chance, you'll be a fish among the plants. But though the time goes quite a while, you'll have one there, a...**

"Luigi, now it's your turn to choose a card, or better yet, if you want to, you can steal Toadette's." Luigi shook his head and carefully selected one of the six remaining, and then flipped it to read the words.

**The Basement:**

**This house has three floors, but the basement is still hidden. Entering without permission is surely forbidden. However, you will feel forever more closer to the dead than ever before.**

"No!" Luigi gasped. "The basement sounds horrible enough, but with the word 'dead' somewhere in the description? Please, somebody take this from me!"

"I'll take your card," Blooper said in an agreeing tone. "I'll try my best to survive in it."

"Really?" he asked with surprise. Blooper nodded heavily, as he went over to take the card away from Luigi.

"Well, now that Blooper had stolen your sleeping reservation for the basement, Luigi, you must choose again." Luigi chose the last card in the row, and with crossed fingers, he turned it over.

**The Kitchen**

**To a larder of gigantic size; a sight before your eyes. Though when I do advise to stay away from the flies, the stench is surely the worst surprise.**

"Phew, that sounds much better," Luigi said in a thankful voice. "I can always count on you, Blooper."

"No problem," Blooper replied, looking closely at the green plumber.

"Let me give out one more hint for the rooms for tonight," added the host. "Things will become worse when your eyes are closed." McHallyboo suddenly looked at the grandfather clock with a horrified glance.

"The funhouse is closing in five hours!" he exclaimed. "Hurry, hurry! Luigi, I'll bring you to your room first, since yours is the closest." Luigi made a face that looked as apprehensive as ever as McHallyboo motioned him to follow behind, as the two of them exited the parlor and off to another room.

"I don't know what a conservatory is," Toadette admitted. Blooper looked at her with a sigh.

"It's a glass house, with all these plants in it," he explained. "Basically, it's a miniature greenhouse. But don't you think that you'd rather have the basement? I only stole the basement from Luigi because I was playing around with his mind."

"That's mean," said Toadette. "Luigi's a good person."

"It's called strategy," Blooper pointed out. "You make people think other things which aren't true, when in fact, you're the one keeping the gigantic secret away from everyone else."

* * *

McHallyboo opened the large set of doors. Before them was the dining hall, hosting a long table that stretched from wall to wall, horizontally. Strangely enough, each seat had a plate and a set of silverware situated in front of it, totalling to a maximum of 25 possible diners.

"Gee," said Luigi. "Is there going to be a party coming later on?"

"Yes," said a delighted McHallyboo. "All of my beloved friends in this house will join me for a midnight snack, while you're locked up and away. We're entering the kitchen." Luigi stood still for a second, his face full of bewilderment, before continuing. Through the back of the large room was the kitchen, in where the two of them continued on past the dirty dishes and cooking appliances. Luigi held his nose as they approached the door in the very back, in where a source of smell was protruding from.

"Oh no," Luigi moaned. "I smell meat."

"Rotten meat," corrected McHallyboo, and pushed the door open. A chill was sent down the spines of the two of them as the cold freezer was exposed to the outside. Luigi coughed heavily with disbelief as he entered, taking off his cap and putting it around half of his face, in a futile attempt to block off the indescribable smell.

"This is the meat locker," said the host. "All the meat here will eventually turn into pot roast and filet mignon, but right now, it's quite raw." Giant slabs of flesh hung from hooks attached to the ceiling, and with the ceiling being so low, they touched the ground, leaving strange, slimy meat ooze that covered almost the entirety of the floor. Luigi looked appalled, and looked even more appalled when he realized that McHallyboo was already leaving him.

"I hope that I won't have to stay in here for the rest of the night," Luigi said, almost in a voice as if he was intending something.

"I'm sad to say that you won't be staying here for more than an hour," McHallyboo explained to him, handing him a small watch timer. "Once this starts to beep, your time would be up and you would be free to go. Now, the group was able to add forty thousand coins to the stake pot, and now, that money is still at risk, depending on what you decide to do." Luigi nodded.

"I'll decide to stay in this room for an hour, but, I'll never know how it'll go," Luigi said to the host. "The stench is already at the worst I can imagine, and if gets any worse, I'll refuse to handle it!"

"You have all been assigned rooms for the night that you must all stay in for an appropriate time limit. If at anytime you decide to leave this meat locker before the one hour timer is up, you can do so at your own will, but you would sacrifice forty thousand coins, money that could have otherwise been added to the team pot. Good luck." McHallyboo exited the meat locker, grabbing the handle of the metal door and slamming it behind him, as Luigi eyed the timer carefully, time going by second by second. Luigi moaned with exhaustion at the clogged air.

"This is just a perfect," he said sarcastically, closing his eyes.

* * *

Already looking forward to the worst possible, Blooper made his way down the wooden steps, as McHallyboo followed right behind him. As the host closed the door, he flicked on the lights. Blooper shielded his eyes as lights from every corner came on, blinding him for a split second before he could regain his focus.

"Welcome to the basement," said McHallyboo. "I hope you have as fun of a night in here as I did." The calm player looked at the wall in front of him, at an extremely unfamiliar sight. Huge metal drawers were stacked on top of each other, each square having a handle and a small tag attached to the front of it. It was a morgue.

"Is this what I chose for myself?" he asked, his voice entering into a tone of anxiousness.

"You must be placed into one of these morgue drawers," explained McHallyboo, "until six o'clock in the morning. The forty thousand dollars that the group was able to add to the stake pot is still at risk, depending on what you decide to do during this game. If at any time you want to get out before six o'clock, yell the phrase 'Morgue Closing'. If you do so, you would sacrifice the forty thousand coins that the players had earned, money that would have otherwise gone into the team pot. Once you're ready, tell us." Blooper stood still for a second, hesitating.

"I'm aware of the dangers of this," he said, after a second of thinking.

"There are many dangers to this," McHallyboo pointed out. "But remember that if you do not do your task, you would be the sole reason for the loss of money. It's your choice whether you want to do it or not." Blooper though again, but this time, in a more clever way.

"I'll do it," he finally said. "I'll do anything to save the money of the team pot."

"Then take this." McHallyboo handed him a plastic container.

"What could this be?"

"Well, it just so happens that the bag is the same exact size of your body." Blooper unzipped the body bag and stepped inside, tentacle by tentacle, until he was completely standing in it. Two producers came and stabbed coordinated holes into the heavy plastic, which would later serve as Blooper's only link to staying alive. Then, the two producers picked him up, pulled open the drawer labeled "BLOOPER INKE", and placed him on the cold metal surface.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The player only nodded. McHallyboo pulled the zipper over Blooper's head, sealing him within the body bag. The drawer was closed, plunging Blooper into a separate world of darkness.

* * *

McHallyboo led Toadette to the far side of the house, the closest to the outside as possible. A glass door stood in front of them, and went the host didn't go any further, Toadette went ahead to open it.

"I think you would find it better if I went inside first," McHallyboo suggested, turning the handle and pulling the glass door open. It was the conservatory, a room of glass that served as a personal glass-house and plant home for the many flower pots across the edge. A large cactus plant sat at the corner of the room next to a rake and a hoe, and in the center was a side table, with two garden armchairs surrounding it on both sides. And because the whole room was made out of glass, the moonlight was illuminating the area, serving as a secondary light source. But the "out of the ordinary" object which caught Toadette's eye was the reptile, sitting right on the small table with its eyes open and roaming around. Toadette gasped and stood by the entrance.

"Come on in," instructed McHallyboo. "Hurry or she might get out." Toadette took the host's hand as she entered the conservatory.

"Is that real?" she asked.

"Of course she is!" said McHallyboo. "This is Priscilla. She's a crocodile. A little one. And she's going to be your roommate for the night. She's VERY happy to see you." Toadette moved towards the exit again, but McHallyboo pulled her back gently.

"Will she bite?" Toadette asked.

"Crocodiles can bite," McHallyboo said. "Of course they can, otherwise they couldn't eat. Any more questions?" Toadette just stood where she was, still grabbing onto the host's hand for comfort. She shook her head.

"You must stay in this room until the ceiling stops leaking," he told her, pointing to a damp spot in the ceiling which had already left a small puddle on the floor. "The forty thousand coins that you were all able to add to the team pot are now at stake, and can either be thrown away or added to the team pot. Your job is to stay in this room for the appropriate time limit, but if at any time you decide to leave this room before your time is up, you may do so, but you would be sacrificing the forty thousand coins, away from the team pot and into the world of cowardice. I will be leaving you now." Toadette continued to stay still, eyeing the crocodile with fear.

"Move away from the entrance so I can get out," McHallyboo said with appreciation. Toadette stepped to the side, still looking at the crocodile.

"I would be more focused on the leaking water than the alligator," McHallyboo said. He hurriedly turned around to exit the conservatory, leaving Toadette by herself with the creature.

At this time, Lakitu was already back at the hotel, in bed, sleeping peacefully and out of any harm for the night.

* * *

"This is so a gross!" Luigi moaned, walking to a corner of the meat locker in where no meat or slimy substance was near. He crouched down and looked at the giant slab of meat hanging from the meat hook in front of him.

"This isn't the worst," he said to himself. "I'm glad I was switched out of the basement." But as Luigi looked even closer, he began to see how nasty his room was in reality. The liquid on the floor was partially mixed with splashes of blood, and a pile of bones were laid on the other side of the meat locker. Luigi gagged suddenly at the increasing stench, falling forwards as his hands touched the wet ground.

"Yuck," he moaned. "I don't think I can go on with this without throwing up."

**Time Remaining: 50 Minutes**

* * *

Blooper shuffled in his body bag. He couldn't see anything around him, and when he held a tentacle up to his face to look at it, he realized that he was in a place of pure darkness.

"This is getting very unnerving," he said to himself. "I'm all here, in the dark, trapped like a dead body." He kicked with force at the metal drawer at the end of his body, only feeling the tiniest of a budge as the shelf below him slid a centimeter back and forth.

"Maybe sleeping is the only solution," he said thoughtfully, trying to shift his body as comfortably as he could within the tight space. "Though I find it hard if I'm not getting enough oxygen."

**1:45 A.M.**

* * *

Toadette stood in the corner of the room, watching the little crocodile sit on the miniature table as it opened its mouth.

"Don't be scared," she whispered to herself. The creature walked off the surface of the table and hit the floor, causing it to let out a strange groan and crawl forwards. Toadette shrieked and looked away at the wall.

"Oh my God!" she said to herself, pressing her body into the corner of the conservatory even harder. The crocodile turned its head at her and stood still, from the other side of the room. Toadette was finally able to gather enough courage to turn around, and eyed the dripping water like the host told her to. It was dripping double the speed as it had been doing before.

_**Drip...drip...drip...**_

* * *

Luigi held his nose with one hand and his hat over his mouth with the other. A flea from somewhere in the distance flew up to his eye and landed on his fingers, making the player jump up to his feet and swat it away.

"Darn flea is contaminating the food," Luigi said with disgust. He brushed away some of the gooey liquid onto the wall behind him, scratching his fingers in the process as he slid his fingers across the rough, cement texture. The air got colder, and Luigi found himself leaning against the wall to support his shivering hands.

Suddenly, Luigi turned around at an unusual noise, coming from somewhere behind the slabs of flesh and on the other side of the meat locker. The sound started to increase, and as Luigi began to recognize the vexation of the horrible noise, he covered his ears and mouth as the buzzing sound began to get closer, nearer to where he was. Hundreds of flies came into view, large portions of them attaching onto the hanging pieces of meat and feasting happily. But the rest that did not latch onto any of the rotting meat available in the meat locker went towards a different kind of meat in the room: right towards Luigi.

"AHHHHH!" he yelled, closing his eyes and waving his hat out in front of him wildly, having no pity for the fleas which didn't stand a single chance against his swings.

* * *

"I'm not even sure if its safe to be in a situation like this," Blooper said, giving out a slightly exaggerated cough in his body bag. He kicked into the plastic below him for a second time, at the entrance of his morgue drawer.

Blooper: _All of a sudden I began to think that my lungs were becoming smaller. And it was horrible, because who would like to have something bad and extraordinary happening to their body? Especially in such an unimaginable situation. I think I was just being rational when I started to feel like quitting._

"Hey!" he called out. "I'm here in the drawer! I'm tired of waiting here, and I think I quit!" Blooper waited for a reply. Nothing came back to him as an answer.

"Is anyone out there?" he called out once again. Nobody came to help him, and as Blooper changed his mind, he lowered his shoulders and laid his head back on the metal bed.

"If I quit now, everyone will start to suspect me," he realized.

**2:30 A.M.**

* * *

The dripping in Toadette's room grew rapid, speeding up to a rate that transformed the drops of water into a little spray, as if from a hose. The ground was wooden, and as the water hit the floor, it spread outwards, and within the next few seconds, the entire floor was covered with a single layer of water. Toadette hopped on one foot and traveled to the middle of the room, where the two armchairs were present. The crocodile let out a deep murmur as it damped its feet in the coolness of the water, closing its eyes and bringing relief to Toadette. The water began to empty into the room like a pipe

"Please don't let the room flood," she prayed. She curled herself up into the safety of the armchair.

* * *

The flies that were swarming around Luigi lessened to a smaller group, having either traveled to another piece of flesh in the meat locker or hit by Luigi's cap. The green cap, smeared with dead flies, was dropped to the ground by the disgusted player.

"Ugh, another half hour," he moaned out loud, looking at his stop watch. Watching the ground cautiously with wide eyes, he walked across the meat locker, passing a variety of rotten meat that the leftover flies quickly attached to.

Luigi: _I was trying my best not to throw up, because just looking at a raw meat makes me feel extremely queasy. I was already thinking of throwing up by just a entering the room, but I remembered it wasn't worth it to leave the room. Since I had it easiest over the others, I thought it best, and difficult, to keep my cool in such a small place._

**Time Remaining: 25 Minutes**

* * *

Bored and losing the ability to stay awake, Blooper decided to sleep. Even in the place of a morgue, a place that only served comfort for the deceased, Blooper discovered that the inside of the morgue drawer served as the equivalent of a long cot with a plastic mattress.

He woke up at the sound of a clang.

"Huh?" he said out loud. He raised his head up, startled and alarmed at the sudden noise. He stayed in his position for a few more minutes before lying back down again.

"I guess this wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been," he whispered, before falling asleep for another hour. His mind explored his deepest dreams of imagination, revolving around his adventures of the past three weeks, and all the things he had done within them.

**2:30 A.M.**

* * *

The crocodile, now floating, swam across the room. Toadette stood on her armchair as the animal swam in between the two pieces of furniture. The side table which the crocodile had been initially placed in the beginning of the game had so much buoyancy that it was also floating. The pots of flowers across the back of the conservatory were floating as well, spilling an unpleasant mix of leaves and soil on the surface of the water.

Toadette: _I had no idea that the room was going to leak this much. If the whole room ends up being flooded, there would be nowhere to hide from the crocodile, and the crocodile is the scariest part of the room._

Toadette gasped when she felt the water touch her shoes. The armchair was being submerged. When she finally thought everything could be at the worst, there was a twist to the end of her stay in McHallyboo's Funhouse. The lights turned off. She screamed and fell into the water.

* * *

**Time Remaining: 15 Minutes **

Luigi didn't bother to sit down, or hold his nose. His sticky hands were stretched out in front of him, in an attempt to wave at any flies that happened to pass his way. He tried his best in blocking away any thoughts of throwing up.

"This is as bad as the sewers in the Mushroom Kingdom," Luigi realized, having memorized the awful stench from the underground of his hometown. Though he didn't officially work as a plumber, he was always responsible for any sewage problems that erupted.

"Darn Bowser minions," he mumbled to himself. He stepped on a piece of flesh bone on the floor, making him gasp in surprise.

All of a sudden, the lights were gone. All three players, Luigi, Blooper, and Toadette, were in complete darkness.

* * *

Toadette let go off the armchair and discovered that she was swimming. She cried out for help, swimming up to the wall where she knew the door was at, and forced her hand underwater in search for the door. Her courage was disappearing.

"I can't swim!" she cried, trying her best to stay above surface. The sound of the rushing water echoed back from the glass walls in a ringing vibration, and the crocodile, somewhere in the water, let out a growl. Toadette grabbed onto a flower pot in the in the dark to float on. When the pot broke in half, she fell to the bottom of the conservatory. Coughing, she rose back to the top and reached for the ceiling.

"You can quit any time you want!" called a voice from the ceiling. "Otherwise, you only have five minutes left!"

"I want to get out now!"

"So you're quitting or you'll stay just a little more?" The crocodile growled again.

"I quit!" Toadette shouted. "I'm not doing this!"

"Are you sure!"

"Yes! Help me before the crocodile reaches me!" The tile above her opened, and a crew member dressed in a scuba diving suit reached down and picked the player up, away from the water and the clutches of the lurking crocodile. At that moment, the forty thousand coins were gone.

* * *

Toadette was brought to the parlor of McHallyboo's Funhouse, her clothes changed a towel wrapped around her. McHallyboo looked disappointed.

"Didn't enjoy my funhouse?" he asked her. Toadette shook her head.

"Well, I told you before that if anyone quit, the forty thousand coins would be lost. Because you had left your room before the water stopped dripping, you lost the game for the group, as well as the money for this challenge. If you had stayed in the water for another five minutes, the water would have stopped."

"There was a crocodile in that room," Toadette told him. "It was pitch black, and you couldn't see where the crocodile was. I'm definitely scared of wild animals anyway, so there was no way I could have lasted in that room any longer than I did. Even with no water in the room or with the lights on, the room still scared the crap out of me. And plus, 170 thousand coins is fine with me, so I'm fine with what I did."

**Team Pot**

**170,000 Coins**

"You can sleep in that sleeping bag over there," said McHallyboo, pointing to the corner of the parlor. Dry and out of harm for the night, she went to bed.

* * *

Unaware that Toadette had left her room and forfeited the forty thousand coins, Blooper and Luigi continued to remain in their rooms for the night, with at least one of them in hopes of adding the non-existing money to the team pot.

"It's scaaaaary..." whispered Luigi in a nervous voice, his body shivering not only from the increasing cold of the room, but from the fact that there was nowhere to go, or even see. The only source of light available was coming from his stopwatch.

**Time Remaining: 5 Minutes**

Luigi, having becoming a braver individual, took a few steps forwards. His face ran smack into a hanging piece of meat. Luigi screamed.

* * *

Blooper remained in his morgue drawer, asleep. He turned to his side and hit the metal besides him, waking himself up in the process. He let out an exasperated groan.

**Time Remaining: 1 Minute**

Luigi knelt down for the majority of the end of his stay. He closed his eyes, something useless to do in a pitch black room but something that made him feel more comfortable and relaxed. The stench, surprisingly, was disappearing slowly.

Suddenly, the lights came on. Luigi stood with relief, a smile coming over his face. The door of the meat locker opened, and standing at the entrance of the horrid room was none other than McHallyboo. The watch in Luigi's hand began to beep.

"Thank you for enjoying my Funhouse," said McHallyboo, his voice being converted back to his regular tone. "I know that the meat locker wasn't too pleasant. But at least you were able to survive for an hour."

"Yup, I tried my hardest," Luigi replied with a grin. "Though the stench got so unbelievable at times that I felt like quitting. But I'm glad I didn't."

"Follow me out this way," the host commanded, leading him out of the kitchen, passed the empty dining table, and back to the safety of the parlor. Luigi entered the room and saw that the middle table was gone, and that two sleeping bags were positioned in the center of the floor. Toadette waved at him.

"Uh, hi," Luigi said. "You're finished already?"

"No, I quit," Toadette corrected. "Sorry that I couldn't get you out of your room early and tell you that the forty thousand coins were already gone." Luigi sighed.

"That's okay," he said. "Well, in honesty, I'm not sure how Blooper will react to this, but I'm okay with it. I was able to come over a fraction of my fears in the process."

"What was that?"

"Spending an hour in a room full of dead animals," Luigi told her. "Well, the meat locker. But it was a horrible! They let out a plethora of flies halfway through, and shut the lights off so all I could see was the light emitting from my watch. What was the conservatory like?"

"I was told to stay until the dripping from the ceiling stopped," Toadette explained. "But then the dripping got worse and turned into a large spray of water, and after a while the entire room was flooded. It was like an aquarium." Luigi laughed.

"Sorry," Luigi said with a smile on his face. "That just sounds silly."

"Well, I thought I was going to drown," Toadette told him. "And there was a crocodile in the water that kept on growling, and the lights shut off just like your room did, and--"

"A CROCODILE?" exclaimed Luigi. "Like a real crocodile? That's just too much."

"So this man above me yelled that it was okay to quit, so I did," Toadette finished. "They pulled me up through the ceiling." Luigi looked at the ground, then at Toadette.

"Remember, during the picking of the rooms?" Luigi remembered, "When I was able to steal your card? I should have a taken it from you, I mean, I didn't think the conservatory was going to be so bad, so I let you have it."

"Don't feel bad," said Toadette. "How would you have known the conservatory was going to be the worst room out of all three?" Luigi looked at her with an astounded look, as if he was in a loss of words. Toadette looked at him, puzzled. Luigi then looked at his fingers with a face of amusement.

"Hey! Umm, do you have any hand sanitizer?" he asked quickly. "My hands are all sticky from the meat I touched in the meat locker. I mean, I remember seeing you have hand sanitizer in the hotel." Toadette nodded with confusion and went to get her backpack.

* * *

**4:00 A.M.**

Blooper coughed and woke up for the third time for the night. He felt more like a dead body than ever before. He shuffled around in his plastic container, trying to regain his comfort.

"By soon you'll be gone," he said drowsily. "You'll be out of here in no time. Just two more hours, I guess...damn this." Using his thinnest tentacle, he stretched open the hole which the two producers had poked into his bag at the beginning of his stay, and with another tentacle he split it wide open. He gasped with relief as his head made way out of the body bag and into the stillness of his morgue drawer. Half of his body was free.

"This is unbelievable," he muttered to himself.

* * *

**5:00 A.M**.

The sun began to shine through the curtain-less window of the parlor. Toadette was sound asleep, sleeping inside her sleeping bag with the dried towel in her hands. Luigi, however, sat up on his flat bed and didn't sleep at all. Something inside him, something emotionally affecting him, was preventing him from going to bed that morning. He looked at Toadette, then at the door of the parlor, then stared out the window until his eyes began to hurt.

* * *

Blooper remained awake until his time was up. It was six o'clock in the morning, when all of a sudden there was a metal clang, the same sound Blooper had heard previously that had woken him up from his slumber. He heard the rattling of keys and a click, then felt his entire body move downwards as the entire shelf was pulled out. He shielded his eyes from the basement lights, and then looked up at the grinning face of McHallyboo.

"About time," Blooper said to him. "I was getting dehydrated."

"Did you enjoy the basement?" the host asked him.

"Of course I did!" Blooper retorted. "And the best thing was, I didn't get a wink of sleep! My lungs were shrinking, and I felt as life-less as ever." He jumped off the morgue bed and zipped away the rest of the body bag around him.

"It looks like you cheated," said McHallyboo. "You were to remain in your body bag during the entire night, and not harm it in any way in the attempt of making things easier."

"I...wasn't unaware," Blooper said with a look of surprise. McHallyboo laughed.

"Just kidding," he finished. "Well, now you can go back to the parlour and sleep until eight." Blooper followed the host up the basement stairs, and out of the funhouse.

**MCHALLYBOO'S FUNHOUSE: CLOSED**

* * *

Tired and worn out, Blooper opened the door of the parlor and saw a surprise. Both players were in the room. Toadette was sleeping. Luigi, wide awake, turned around to look at Blooper.

"Hey!" said Luigi, getting up from the ground. "I'm glad you made it! I was a little worried you couldn't make it back." Blooper just stood where he was, stunned.

"This is what you guys have been doing this entire time?!" Blooper said in a loud voice. Toadette woke up from her sleep and rubbed her eyes.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's six o'clock," he replied. Luigi looked at the clock nervously.

"I didn't get a wink of sleep!" exclaimed Blooper. "I was trapped in a morgue drawer, suffocating, dying, and having the most unpleasant night of my life, all in hopes of adding forty thousand coins to the team pot...Luigi?" Luigi looked at Blooper.

"Do you want to explain?" Blooper continued in a suggestive tone.

"Well, I spent an hour in this yucky roomy," Luigi explained to Blooper. "In the kitchen, where there was rotting meat. I had a timer for one hour, and once my time was done I was let out. Toadette stayed in a room with a crocodile and water, but she left before her time was up."

"She WHAT?" Blooper shouted.

"I'm sorry," said Toadette. "There's no way I would spend the night in a room with a crocodile in it."

"You little cheat!" accused Blooper, pointing at Toadette. "I knew you were nothing but a spoiled brat! You just HAD to get out of your room and resort to a sleeping place of luxury."

"Calm down!" Luigi told him. "We're all tired! There's no use in getting mad."

"Put yourself in my situation," Blooper demanded. Luigi raised his eyebrow.

"I already am," Luigi stated. "I haven't gotten a wink of sleep either. Do you know how torturous a meat locker is? It's also a place for dead people! I had to spend the night in that room as well."

"She just lost our money!" Blooper yelled. Luigi shook his head.

"Good for you," he replied. "We can still make a lot more if we want to in our next challenges. We have an entire episode left after this one."

"Wait," Blooper realized. "Are you on her side or my side?" Luigi turned to look at Toadette, tired and frightened. Luigi looked back at Blooper, who was enraged, rude, and ready to blow.

"I'm just protecting Toadette," Luigi stated. "Stop attacking her just because she left her room. I would have left her room myself. We should all be mad at Lakitu for stealing the night in the hotel." All of a sudden, Blooper relaxed. He sighed and looked at Toadette.

"I think apologizing would be the best thing to do," Luigi said with recommendation.

"Fine," said Blooper reluctantly. "I'm sorry. I'm mad because I went through all that crap for nothing in return, and I'm pissed off because of it."

"And I'm sorry too for making you do all that for nothing," Toadette apologized. She turned over to go back to bed. Luigi stretched his arms, yawned, and then smiled at Blooper.

"See?" Luigi remarked. "That all went a smoothly." Blooper glared at him, then took his own sleeping bag and lay down on the floor. Like Luigi, he remained awake.

* * *

The players began to reflect on exactly what had happened during McHallyboo's Funhouse.

_Did the Mole cause any of this? Was there really any deliberate sabotage? Or did the Mole do nothing at all in this challenge, having felt the heat of suspicion already trailing behind their backs?_

* * *

Blooper: _I don't see how Toadette couldn't have lasted in a room with a crocodile in it! There was a humongous amount of money at stake, and I'm sure that she knows how to swim, so she should have had no trouble in that room, even though it was pitch black. I would have lasted in her room with little or no trouble, showing that she's the Mole._

Luigi: _I can never understand why Blooper gets so mad at these games. Maybe something's bothering him inside. But I just can't put my finger on what that could be._

Toadette: _If Blooper was the Mole, it wouldn't make sense for him to stay in a Morgue drawer for six hours. I think he was trying to show the others how much of a faithful player he was, when in reality, he's just trying to deflect suspicion off from himself by making it look as if he's supporting the team._

_(flashback of Blooper stealing Luigi's "Basement" card)_

Toadette: _Something about Luigi, the way he talks, makes me think that he's hiding a secret._

Blooper: _My strategy with Luigi had worked fairly nicely, and continues to work out. Lakitu's and Toadette's involvement in it helps a lot._

Luigi: _I'm just very confused on what to think right now. Blooper can lose his temper very easily, which I thought was normal for a person to do after spending the night in a morgue drawer. Toadette chickened out of her room, something I would expect for a girl to do if she was ever faced with a crocodile. Lakitu is just plain lucky, or, was it planned out for him to spend the night in the hotel? Overall, I was just more focused on how much money was still in the pot, and if I were to ever win that money, how happy I would be for myself and my loved ones. I'm been very lucky on the execution quizzes! Very lucky, in fact._

* * *

**The Mole is coming back to ABC on June 2! 12 contestants; 11 real players, 1 Mole...and that person's going to sabotage the games and throw people off. Don't miss it!**

**Lakitu**

**Toadette**

**Blooper**

**Luigi**

**have all made it a far way. But one will be left behind, and miss out in the finale. The finale, in where there would be a winner, a loser, and the Mole. Please review!**


	28. Three Alive

Episode 6 (Part 6)

Three tired players left the Fun House, unharmed, but exhausted and traumatized from their experiences. McHallyboo approached the three of them, who were sitting down on the park bench. None of them were talking.

"I'm now beginning to think that NONE of you enjoyed my Funhouse," McHallyboo realized. "And I spent that entire night making everything proper. Since Toadette left her room, you win nothing for this challenge. So you can all blame her." Blooper pretended to throw a rock at her.

"But it does raise suspicion for Blooper and Luigi as well," continued McHallyboo. "Did the Mole feel the heat of suspicion trailing along himf, and decidedf that this was the best game to redeem themselves? Take notice in how there was a bit of switching during the choosing of the hotel rooms." Luigi looked away at the tombstone in the corner. Blooper looked hard at the host.

"But never mind that," the host said. "You're going to be in another challenge. It's called the Flawed Lie Detector."

"Why is it the _flawed _lie detector?" Luigi wondered out loud. The host smiled.

"Because the lie detector will be human, and humans make mistakes." He looked at each of them carefully.

"Lying has been an essential part of this game," explained McHallyboo. "Ever since the first day, people had been lying to each other. The ability to lie, and detect lies in others has probably helped all of you in your strategies so far, up to this point. This next game will test your ability of lying. One by one, you'll enter the parlor and talk to Lakitu. You will tell him about the rooms you spent in last night, along with all those tasty and minute details. Two of you will lie to Lakitu, and one will be telling the truth. If you can fool Lakitu, ten thousand coins will be added to the pot. However, if Lakitu can figure out who's lying, and who's telling the truth, then no money would be added to the pot, and Lakitu would win an exemption."

Blooper: _Lakitu just got to stay in a hotel last night, while the three of us spent the night in torture rooms. And now he's the one being offered an exemption? I don't really buy it. It's completely unfair that a player would receive such advantages, in just a single episode._

Toadette: _There are two possibilities that I thought of which would make Lakitu lose the money intentionally. One, which terrifies me, is that Lakitu actually is the Mole. The second being that he really wants the exemption so much that he'll lose money._

Luigi: _For the sake of the game, I want the money to be added to the pot, especially since we had just lost forty thousand coins in our last challenge, and I really don't want out losing streak to keep on consecutively._

"I'll give you five minutes to decide which two people will be switching stories," said McHallyboo. He left, most assumedly to get Lakitu from the hotel. Blooper pointed at Luigi and Toadette.

"I'm only suggesting this when I say that since you guys spent the most time together," Blooper said with thought, "you should both switch stories."

"I think you guys should both switch stories because they're both about dead stuff," Toadette told them.

"I think that we should choose wisely," Luigi said.

"Which is...?" Blooper asked him. Luigi shrugged.

"How about this?" said Toadette. "Who here is more comfortable with lying to Lakitu?"

"I am," Luigi piped up. "I've lied hundreds of times. I can lie again." Blooper looked at the ground.

"I'm not sure," Blooper admitted, scratching his head. "But I'll try to make it look as if I'm telling the whole truth."

"So I'll tell my crocodile story," confirmed Toadette. "Luigi, you talk about a morgue, and Blooper, tell a believable meat locker story."

"But how am I supposed to talk about a meat locker if I've never seen one before in my life?" Blooper complained. He pointed at Luigi.

"Why are you pointing at me?" Luigi said in defense. "I already chose for me to be a liar. I'm a good liar."

"I think Luigi should tell the truth," Blooper said. "I'm just choosing for the best here. Do you agree, Toadette?"

"If Luigi's okay with it," she said, looking at Luigi.

"Fine, I'll tell about the meat locker," he agreed, with a hint of reluctance in his voice. "But then that means that you guys will have to switch. Is that fine?"

"Yup," Blooper concluded, and nobody spoke after that.

Luigi: _I really wanted to try and lie. I was thinking that if I tried and told the truth, it would be too obvious. I've haven't really spoken to Lakitu much, so I'll see how he reacts to my talking._

Toadette: _I always go to a friend's house on weekends, and when my Mom asks what I was doing, I lie and tell her that I'm just catching up on work. I can definitely use that at my advantage._

_Blooper:__ I definitely have a knack for lying, so I think we would win this game and keep a player from winning an exemption._

* * *

"Your job is to figure out who is lying, and who is telling the truth," McHallyboo said to Lakitu, who sat eagerly on the opposite side of the table. "You do that, you win an exemption, but will lose money for the team pot."

"I'm going straight for the exemption," Lakitu said. McHallyboo nodded and left the room. Toadette entered first.

"Hi, Toadette," Lakitu said. Toadette smiled and waved at him.

"So, tell me about your night in McHallyboo's Funhouse." Toadette rubbed her throat and smiled again.

"I was brought second to my room," Toadette explained. "I was brought down to the basement, in where McHallyboo said I would have to spend the night until six o'clock in the morning. But there was a twist." Lakitu laughed.

"What was that?" he asked.

"The whole wall was full of large, metal shelves, like a morgue. I saw that the drawer in front of me had my name on it, Toadette Rytoad. McHallyboo told me that if I were to stay in that shelf until six o'clock, I would help add forty thouand coins to the pot. The brought over this large bag and told me to step inside. He poked holes in it, with little sharp tools, and zipped in closed, then carried me up onto the open platform. McHallyboo asked me if I was okay with this, and I thought carefully and said yes. He then plunged me into the dark."

"Were you scared?" asked Lakitu.

"Oh yeah," said Toadette. "I couldn't see anything. It was difficult to breathe. I couldn't even move anywhere."

"I remember a while back," Lakitu told her, "where you said out loud that you had claustrophobia. Why did you decide to do it then?"

"Do the game?" said Toadette.

"Sleep in a tight area," Lakitu asked her. Toadette smiled.

"I, err, was told that this was for a lot of money," she said quickly. "So knowing that this was the only time we could add a large amount of money into the team pot, I decided to suck it up and face my fears. But it was horrible."

"Did you get any sleep?" said Lakitu. Toadette shook her head.

"I didn't get a wink of sleep," she told him.

"But it was completely dark, and you were lying down," Lakitu reminded her.

Toadette: _Blooper told us that he didn't get a wink of sleep at all while he was in the morgue. Now that I think of it, it's almost impossible to not have fallen asleep in a dark area, especially if you were lying down in a flat surface._

"You know, well," said Toadette. "It's difficult to sleep if you can't breathe and if you're covered in plastic, so no time at all did I fall asleep."

"Not at all?"

"It was impossible too, even if it was completely dark and I was lying completely down on my back." Lakitu nodded heavily.

"Thank you Toadette," he said. Toadette smiled once more.

Lakitu: _I decided to just listen to the person's voice and see if it sounded as if they were lying. Toadette was smiling a lot, which is unusual because she's always crying during challenges. But I guess she was just happy to see me, and I think she was telling the truth._

* * *

"Hello, Luigi," Lakitu greeted, as Luigi sat down. Luigi smiled at him.

"So how was your night?" Lakitu asked. "Where did you spend the night in McHallyboo's Funhouse?"

"It was absolutely disgusting!" Luigi exclaimed. "Have you ever smelled rotten meat before?"

"No...not really," Lakitu said with surprise. "Why? Was it your room?"

"I had to spend an entire hour in a meat locker," Luigi explained to him. "And it stunk. Literally. I mean, I didn't know it was going to be so a bad. The air was freezing cold, and McHallyboo gave me a stop watch. But still, I didn't know that flies were going to have to come out."

"Describe the flies," Lakitu said to him. Luigi nodded.

"They buzzed, like bees," Luigi continued. "Out of nowhere in the meat locker, they came out and started to attach to all the hanging pieces of meat. But then the rest headed towards my body! And I waved my hat at them, trying to get them off. But I ended up running away to the other side, where I spent the remainder of my time. See, I even have proof that my story is true!" He pointed at his shaved head.

"See? No hat!" Lakitu looked as puzzled as ever.

"What would that prove?" he asked him.

"When those flies swarmed me, I whacked them," Luigi said. "They smeared all over my hat, so badly that I decided not to touch it anymore. Then there was all this ooze on the floor."

"Ooze?" questioned Lakitu. Luigi nodded.

"Yes, ooze on the floor from the slabs of flesh in the room," Luigi told him. Lakitu looked under the table, at Luigi's shoes. There was no sign of any wetness, or damage anywhere on Luigi's feet.

"Did you just stay in one area, or did you walk around the entire time?" Lakitu asked.

"Like I said, I moved when something bad happened," said Luigi. "I found a place where there was no ooze, and crouched down and covered my face with my dirty hands. Oh, and for the last five minutes, the lights shut off. Boom! Nothing to see."

"And you stayed in the meat locker until five minutes went by," Lakitu stated, nodding his head. Luigi nodded.

"In the dark?" Lakitu asked. "I'm sure that you were shivering with terror, because everyone knows you're afraid of the dark."

Luigi: _Maybe it looked like I'm lying to Lakitu. But in fact, I was just trying my best to look cool, and sound as casual as ever. I didn't know why I was picked to tell the truth in the first place._

"I was," said Luigi. "Did I mention that the room was cold? It was like a freezer, not too cold, but cold enough to keep meat fresh. In this case, the meat was not, unfortunately. After an hour McHallyboo opened the door, and I was let out." Lakitu nodded again.

"Thank you Luigi," Lakitu concluded. Luigi got up, stretched, and left the parlor.

Lakitu: _I couldn't tell whether Luigi was lying or telling the truth. He said something about ooze on the ground, and when I looked under the table, I didn't see any ooze. I really think that Luigi was trying to make it look like a lie, but in fact, it was the truth. Or maybe he was lying._

* * *

Blooper entered the parlor last and sat down at the table.

"Hello, Blooper," Lakitu said in a greeting voice. "Glad to see you."

"Glad to see you too," Blooper replied.

"So what exactly did you do in McHallyboo's Funhouse?" Lakitu asked. Blooper cleared his voice.

"I was brought to a room," he said, "which was made out of all glass. I could see the moon outside, and it was like a little greenhouse. I noticed that the ceiling was dripping and so I asked McHallyboo about it. He said, 'Oh, don't worry about it. I would be more worried about that'. I turn around, and before my very eyes I see a crocodile, around five feet long. It's on a table and it growled and made strange, very strange gurgles, and I knew that it was not going to be a fun night."

"So how long did you have to spend in the room?" asked Lakitu.

"Until the ceiling stopped leaking," Blooper explained. "I tried to get the host into telling me how long exactly, but he didn't tell me, and so he left me alone. With the crocodile."

"This room sounds worse than the other two," Lakitu said. "Go on. What happened next?"

"I sat in the corner, very frightened of the crocodile. And before I knew it, the room was flooding. I tried to swim, but I just couldn't."

"Hold it," Lakitu said with realization. "You swim. You're a sea scavenger, and explore the sea and do everything underwater. And you're telling me that you couldn't swim?" Blooper opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but he didn't.

"I'm not yet done, telling about what I did, last night," Blooper said, clearing his voice again. "I knew how to swim, yes. I'm an expert at swimming. I was just faced with a crocodile, and that changes everything. It scared me a lot, and once you're scared, you can't think at all. I mean, even though I felt right at home in the water, I was so focused on the crocodile that I couldn't even do my favorite activity." Lakitu just stared at him.

"So like I was saying," continued Blooper, "the entire room was flooded. Then the lights turned off, and the place was dark. I was so scared of the crocodile that I quit. I had enough of the crocodile, and with it, yeah, it's growling." Blooper tried his best to imitate the growl of a crocodile.

"You've never faced anything scarier than a crocodile before?" Lakitu asked. "You've spent years in the ocean." Blooper didn't say anything.

"You see, I was just really stressed out from the entire game," Blooper answered.

"And how much money did you lose?"

"We lost forty thousand coins. But like I said, I was so stressed out. I could barely pay attention afterwards, and I did feel a little faint and light-headed, from the experience I had just gone through."

"Thank you Blooper," said Lakitu. Blooper nodded and left the room silently.

Blooper: _I wasn't sure whether I had fooled Lakitu or not into believing my story. He kept on pointing out things that contradicted what I was saying, and had many questions that regarded how I acted. I tried remembering everything about the conservatory and tried to say it out loud, but when the words came out of my mouth, I began to stutter._

Lakitu: _Blooper didn't trick me at all. No way was he telling the truth. And the good thing is this guarantees me closer to an exemption._

* * *

All three of the interrogated players were back in the parlor, sitting on the couch. Two of them were nervous, afraid at the possibility that Lakitu would earn himself a free pass to the next round. One of them, however, sat back coolly.

"Have you made your final answer?" McHallyboo confirmed with Lakitu. Lakitu nodded.

"I have made my final answer," Lakitu said. "Let me start with Luigi. Luigi, you talked about spending an hour in the meat locker. But it was way too vague. Also, you talked about ooze on the floor. I looked under the table while you were talking and realized that there was no dampness or wet spots on your shoes, which there should have been." Luigi stood still.

"Toadette, you talked about spending the night in a morgue shelf," said Lakitu. "Even though you do have some claustrophobia, I think that you were pressured enough with the money, pressured enough to make you do it. But I still can't believe how you weren't able to get a wink of sleep in there." Toadette nodded.

"Blooper, Blooper," Lakitu said, sighing. "I find it hard to believe that you would be scared of a room that was flooded. You've spent your entire life underwater, and you've also faced a lot of other wild creatures that don't even compare to the mildness of a crocodile. And the way you talked about your room sounded as if you were making things up, so if you hadn't of guessed already, I believe you were lying."

"So what's your final answer?" McHallyboo asked Lakitu.

"That Toadette told the truth and Luigi and Blooper switched stories."

"Okay, Lie Detector" said McHallyboo. "Thank you for your analysis. We'll start with Blooper. Blooper, what did you do?"

"I lied," Blooper said.

"Toadette?"

"I also lied," Toadette said, smiling.

"Damn!" exclaimed Lakitu. "Are you serious? You got me. You got me good. I had a feeling there was something wrong when you kept on smiling." Lakitu hung his head.

"And I was actually telling the truth," Luigi added.

"So I guess that means no exemption," realized Lakitu.

"That's correct," McHallyboo declared. "And because you failed to get the final exemption for this entire game, not only will you never here the word 'exemption' ever spoken again, but ten thousand coins will be added to the team pot. Well done."

**Team Pot**

**180,000 Coins**

"The final execution ceremony will be happening tonight," McHallyboo reminded them. "From victory comes a loss. Tonight, someone will be leaving us."

* * *

Lakitu: _I had a gut feeling that I wasn't going to win the exemption. I mean, it was just impossible to act like a lie detector._

Toadette: _I knew that Lakitu wanted the final exemption so badly, so when he didn't get it I did feel kinda bad for him._

Luigi: _Oh my God, why am I still here? I should have taken Daisy's place on her execution. Just thinking about it makes me miserable._

Blooper: _This game has been so intense so far. I'm beginning to feel as if I'm been having a free pass all along through all the episodes._

All four players took their penultimate quiz simultaneously. As important as answering the questions were, time was also an issue. What if everyone knew who the Mole was? What if everyone tied in with the same amount of correct answers? As unlikely as it sounds, it could still happen at this point in the game.

Toadette stared heavily at the screen, at the first question.

**_1. Did the Mole stay indoors or outdoors for their first Episode 6 challenge?_**

**_-Indoors_**

**_-Outdoors_**

Toadette: _There was a lot of controversy on whether Luigi wanted to be indoors or outdoors, and it had nothing to do with the weather. I think that Luigi feels uncomfortable with Blooper. Maybe he knows that Blooper is the Mole. The second possibility is that maybe Luigi knows that Blooper is suspecting him as the Mole, and therefore wants to stay away from him._

_Flashback **Luigi:**_ _"I wouldn't really mind switching partners."_

_Flashback **Lakitu**: "What's the point? You're just trying to avoid Blooper, and everyone can see that."_

Lakitu looked hard at the choices for Question 2.

**_2. What did the Mole do during the Koopa Spelling game?_**

**_-Participated, caught a Koopa_**

**_-Participated, didn't do anything_**

**_-Did not participate_**

Lakitu: _Right after Blooper had given me the jacket, the Mecha-Koopas froze in their place. I'm sure that there was something strange with the jacket. Why would you randomly give someone a jacket in the middle of a game? I just found that to be very odd._

_Flashback **Blooper:** "Wear this jacket. I think you'll be cold." (gives Lakitu a jacket)_

Blooper read the choices for the third question.

**_3. In the Elsom Art Gallery, did the Mole successfully fool the critic?_**

**_-Yes_**

**_-No_**

**_-The Mole did not play the Art challenge_**

Blooper: _Luigi and Toadette did the exhibit game_. _They lost the game, which I find very unbelievable. They both claimed to be good at art, and if they were so good at art, I found it suspicious how they didn't win their challenge at all._

Luigi took his mouse and chose his answer for Question 3, his fingers moving as rapidly as they could.

Luigi:_ Toadette wanted to cut up the antennae of the television and add them to the scraps inside the TV. It made a larger mess, but she thought she was being artistic. In my opinion, I think she was just trying to complicate everything up._

_Flashback **Toadette: **_"_We can use these for something." (grabs the antennae)_

**_4. Did the Mole succeed in their "second part" challenge?_**

**_-Yes_**

**_-No_**

Lakitu_: I just realized that while Blooper was determining which one of the art pieces Toadette and Luigi had created, he did everything to persuade me that theirs wasn't the correct one. When we did get up to the television, Blooper pointed out all these things that proved it wasn't their art work. But in the end, it did turn out to be theirs. It seemed to be more than just bad luck to me._

**_5. Did the Mole peek at the wall in Room 401 while their blindfold was on?_**

**_-Yes_**

**_-No_**

**_-The Mole wasn't brought to Room 401_**

Toadette: _In Room 401, the scrabble board had the phrase, "The Mole is Male", which was extremely blatant. I think they decided to put that phrase up because I was the only girl left, and because they knew it wouldn't help me. The only other person that I'm sure peeked at the board besides me was Luigi, so if he's the Mole, then that wouldn't help him either._

**_6. What did the Mole eat for dinner the night before McHallyboo's Funhouse?_**

**_-Meatballs and Spaghetti_**

**_-Waldorf Salad_**

**_-Cheeseburger_**

**_-Shrimp Scampi Pasta_**

Luigi: _Lakitu drank so much wine that dinner. Even more coincidentally, that gave him an extra life during McHallyboo's Funhouse because as McHallyboo said, the person who drank the most wine the night before got an extra life in the card games. I found it unfair, because every time I drink a lot of wine, my face gets all flushed and I begin to feel queasy all over. So Lakitu easily was able to stay out of McHallyboo's Funhouse because of that._

**_7. Which card game did the Mole get out on?_**

**_-Spoons_**

**_-Black Jack_**

**_-Poker_**

**_-The Mole survived all three games_**

**_8. What was the total sum value of all the cards that the Mole flipped over during the High Card Game (aces equal 1, Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13)?_**

**_-7_**

**_-11_**

**_-13_**

**_-23_**

Blooper: _I decided to make something special, in terms involving Luigi. We had bonded a lot, especially when I formed that little coalition with him. But now he's been looking at me like a suspect, and I'm doing the same with him. But overall, we have some sort of trust that is still hanging by a thread, and whether that trust would last long, well, we'll be experimenting it if we both survive this execution._

Toadette: _If I were to trust someone in this game, I would trust Lakitu. But him not being present while McHallyboo's Funhouse was going on_ _gives Lakitu a huge disadvantage on this quiz, and I told him that. He said he already knows who the Mole is so he doesn't have to worry._

_Flashback **Lakitu:** (puts down cards) "I guess I win!"_

**_9. Where did the Mole spend the night during McHallyboo's Funhouse?_**

**_-The Kitchen_**

**_-The Basement_**

**_-The Conservatory_**

**_-In the hotel_**

Blooper: _When Luigi picked his room for the night in McHallyboo's Funhouse, it was originally the basement. But Luigi made such a big fuss about it that I gave in and took his card. Luigi ended up getting the Kitchen, which in my opinion was the easiest out of all three. I think he knew secretly that the Kitchen, though as bad as it was, was not the worst room, and that the basement and conservatory were. Luigi stayed in the Kitchen, possibly in the attempt to deflect suspicion off from himself._

Toadette: _I was talking with Luigi while we were sleeping in the parlor, and I brought up the possibility that Luigi knew which room was which._

_Flashback **Toadette: **"How would you have known the conservatory was going to be the worst room out of all three?"_

Toadette: _All of a sudden, Luigi freezes, as if I found something out. I knew that I had discovered something, seeing the strange way he acted._

**_10. How long did the Mole have to stay in McHallyboo's Funhouse?_**

**_- Forty-Five Minutes_**

**_-One Hour_**

**_-Five Hours_**

**_-The Mole didn't stay in McHallyboo's Funhouse_**

Blooper: _Toadette chickened out of her room before her forty-five minutes were up in the funhouse. I think she was scared, but that's no excuse for leaving your room when you are clearly instructed to stay inside of it until your time is up. It was obviously sabotage._

**_11. At exactly 3:00 A.M. during McHallyboo's Funhouse, where was the Mole?_**

**_-In the parlor_**

**_-In a morgue drawer_**

**_-In the hotel_**

_(flashback of Luigi in the parlor, wide awake)_

**_12. What did the Mole do during the Flawed Lie Detector challenge?_**

**_-Lie_**

**_-Tell the truth_**

**_-Play the lie detector_**

Lakitu: _During the Lie Detector challenge, Blooper lied so obviously. It was almost as if he wanted me to get the exemption, and in result, lose money for the team pot._

**_13. During the morning video taping, who was the Mole interviewing?_**

**_-Luigi_**

**_-Toadette_**

**_-Lakitu_**

**_-Blooper_**

Blooper: _If Luigi had taken my place during the Lie Detector game, he would have told the story about the conservatory and made it sound more believable. But because he chose to tell his story about the kitchen instead, we nearly lost the game. _

**_14. What is the Mole's occupation? _**

**_-Actor_**

**_-Air Traffic Controller_**

**_-Gardener/Florist_**

**_-Hair Salon Owner_**

**_-Emergency Nurse_**

**_-Plumber_**

**_-Sea Scavenger_**

**_-Tennis Trainer_**

Lakitu: _I've been looking for a lot of clues lately in the games. I remembered how Zb June, the name of the tranquilizers in our past game, looked like Toadette's birthday June 26. I remember how that letter we had gotten at breakfast was signed mysteriously "The Mole (the 12th and the 13th)", and coincidentally the 12th and 13th letters of the alphabet are L and M. And the book from the art museum, Cheerleading Volume 6.02, was written by a strange-named author named Edisqu Ida, which if combined, would spell out the word "squid". _

**_10. Who is the Mole?_**

**_- Luigi_**

**_-Lakitu_**

**_-Toadette_**

**_-Blooper_**

Toadette: _I've been going for Blooper as the Mole on the past two quizzes. Peach told me on the night of her execution that she didn't choose Blooper at all, so I'm sure he's the Mole._

Blooper: _I can't guarantee that Luigi isn't the Mole. It's true that I didn't vote for him last quiz, but I might have to change my mind this time around. He's been slowly climbing up my suspects list since the last execution._

Lakitu: _I've suspected Toadette from the beginning. I don't know why, she's always there to talk to, and that's made me think she's the Mole._

Luigi: _The more I begin to consider that Blooper is the Mole, the more I think that it might actually be true. So for this quiz, we're both going to go with our gut instincts._

It was just about to narrow down to the final three. The players gave their last farewell.

Toadette: _If I get executed tonight, I'll remember that it's all just a game and that it's fine if I lose._

Lakitu: _I've been lucky enough to even make it this far. I've beaten a lot of other players up to this stage of the game._

Blooper: _Being executed might actually bring some relief to me, from all the stress that has built up in the past couple of days._

Luigi: _I'm almost positive that I'm being executed tonight. This was the hardest quiz we had taken so far. I ended up guessing on so many questions that I'm almost unsure who I had voted for._

* * *

Inside the little town chapel, there were four chairs and a television. Each player walked down the aisle and sat down on a chair, then looked forward at the blazing monitor that shined neon lighting across the inside of the building. The infamous thumbprint stared them back, and they all shivered. McHallyboo walked over to his chair and sat down.

"Welcome to your final execution ceremony," he said, talking in a voice that spoke out to each of the players, almost individually. "I know it's been almost three weeks together ever since we had all met up on that cliff top, in where you Luigi, sabotaged the game, in where you, Blooper, lost your watch, in where you, Toadette, were afraid to jump, and in where you, Lakitu, volunteered bravely to go first. Early on in the game, you had all been nervous about being executed on the first few rounds, but with truth do I say that you've all lasted longer than the others. So please commend yourselves, and if you are eliminated tonight, may you feel no shame in leaving, but rather pride for making it this far in the game." Lakitu looked down at the wooden floor, proud. Toadette smiled and nodded to herself. Luigi stayed still, with a look of fear displayed on his face. Blooper stuck out his tentacle and shook each of the other's hands. Once he was finished he sat back down, his face content and relaxed.

"Are you ready, Luigi?

"I think," said the nervous plumber, looking as frightened and unsure as ever.

"Are you ready Blooper?"

"I am," said the sea scavenger, his face ambiguous and his tentacles down.

"Are you ready Toadette?"

"Yes," said the emergency nurse, nodding and gripping her shoulder tightly.

"Are you ready Lakitu?"

"I am ready," the air traffic controller said. He swallowed deeply, then looked up.

"Then let's begin your sixth and final execution," said the host. "Tonight, I'll be entering your names by age. Youngest, to oldest." He looked at all of them.

"Toadette." Being small and underrated by her fellow teammates, Toadette had proven them wrong by making it farther than any other girl in the game. Watching her name being typed into the computer, she threw away the pessimism in her mind and sat with hope, praying silently that the screen would turn green.

**T-O-A-D-E-T-T-E**

She gripped her shoulder tightly.

...

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

Toadette relaxed and let go off her shoulder.

"Luigi," said the host. The younger of the Mario pair, Luigi was always ridiculed by his lack of experience and direction, yet managed to somehow stay in the game longer than anyone had ever expected him to. Luigi closed his eyes. He felt beads of sweat appear on the side of his head, listening as McHallyboo tapped away on the keyboard, entering in his name.

**L-U-I-G-I**

He opened his eyes again unwillingly, fear dreading inside of him.

...

...

...

...

...

...

**GREEN**

His face displayed the maximum of surprise. He sat back down with a deep sigh, wide-eyed and relieved as well. There were two left.

"Lakitu," the host said. Having been the most dynamic player of the group, Lakitu had slowly gained trust throughout the episodes from his peers, from going from being one of the most suspicious players to one of the most enjoyable players of the game. Lakitu looked up at the screen, the lump in his throat getting larger as the host typed his name in.

**L-A-K-I-T-U**

...

...

...

...

...

...

**RED**

Lakitu leaned his head back with a grin, then got up to his feet. As Blooper sighed heavily, he watched with a sorry heart as Lakitu went over to his bag and picked it up. With a wave, he followed the host out of the chapel and out onto the street. The three surviving players stood still, motionless, not saying a word.

"I had a blast," said Lakitu to McHallyboo. "It was already worth it since the start. I'm sad to leave, because the whole game was just fun ever since the beginning." McHallyboo nodded.

"Were you surprised that you were executed?"

"Yes, and no," Lakitu admitted. "He tricked me good, and I made the wrong mistake that I shouldn't have made. But you know, it was entirely my fault. I knew that it was wrong to go with most of my gut instincts."

"I'm in shock," Luigi said with surprise, looking out the door and breathing heavily. "I truly expected to be the one to go." He sighed again, this time with sadness about Lakitu's disappearance.

"I feel horrible that Lakitu was eliminated," Blooper said, his face showing gloom. "For some reason, I feel partially responsible for his execution, and the cause for him to leave tonight."

"Lakitu brought so much energy to the group at this stage," Toadette remembered. "Even this far, he made us remember that this is all a game, and that it's all okay whether you win or not."

_(flashback of Lakitu waving in the helicopter during the Hostage Rescue, yelling enthusiastically at the others below)_

"And I feel so bad for preventing him from winning that exemption," Luigi said in an unhappy tone of voice. "If he had gotten it, he would have been able to stay. But imagining which one of us would have gone instead of him..." Luigi shook his head.

"I really will miss Lakitu, now that he's gone from the game," Blooper said truthfully. "I didn't want him to be eliminated, so I'm really sad to see him not moving on to the finale." Then, he half smiled.

"He was always the one being funny, but at the same time, sabotaging the games," Blooper said. "During the Selling challenge, we had to sell these objects and Lakitu was doing such a horrible, hilarious job at it."

(_flashback **Lakitu**: "Shoes for fifty coins! They're size six, buy them now! Fits everybody!")_

"He kept on pairing up with me," Toadette realized. "I'm not sure whether he was doing that on purpose, and I was hoping that he didn't have a crush on me or anything." The other two burst into laughter.

"But I remembered how I just hated his character during the beginning of the game," Toadette continued. "But as the game went on, he began showing his true side, and that just made us feel happy."

(_flashback **Lakitu**: "I know it was hideous! But that's how the game goes, and some things are just unfair and, cruel on this show. So don't blame yourself at all. It's not your fault.")_

"Dominique," Toadette said, finding tears in her eyes. Luigi smiled, feeling even more emotionally touched himself.

"I guess it is a bit of an upside," Luigi said with thought, "because it just so happened that Lakitu was not one of my suspects, and so with him gone, I can narrow it down even more. But I feel terrible for saying such a thing."

"I guess we all feel bad for Lakitu in some way," Blooper concluded. "So I guess we'll all be missing him as we move on, in some way or another."

"I just want to congratulate you for making it this far into the game," McHallyboo told Lakitu, as he entered the infamous taxi with the symbol of the two snakes wrapped around the pole. "Do you feel proud in yourself?"

"Of course I do!" Lakitu said. "And I think Dominique has been especially proud of me, so she'll be happy no matter what. I don't need the money, I just wanted it to be added to my life. Nothing big. As long as nothing will be taken AWAY from my life, I'm as content as ever, because right now, I have everything I've ever needed; a home, a wife, a family, and now, a whole bunch of closer connections to eight other people." He grinned and looked down at the ground.

"Well, you did indeed play the game at your best," McHallyboo commented. ""And the final three will indeed be missing you and wishing you luck."

Lakitu: _As soon as I get home, I'll be putting advertisements all over the local papers that say, "Lie detector and sales representative available, no exemptions required."_

"And good luck to them too," Lakitu said, looking back at the chapel. "Good luck, Toadette, Luigi. Blooper." And with that, Lakitu entered the taxi. He did a salute to the host as the vehicle drove away, and then looked back at the chapel. As Lakitu left the game, there were three left.

A winner. A loser. And the Mole.

* * *

_On the next episode..._

Three players remain. One will try to sabotage the most.

Luigi: Why would I do that? There's no reason I would do that on purpose!

One will discover the consequences.

Blooper: Maybe I shouldn't have done that in the first place. I know that it was wrong.

One will end the games.

McHallyboo: In this folder is the Mole's full profile, including the Mole's background information, episode diary entries, and various acts of sabotage.

Toadette: Oh my God...

McHallyboo: It's up to you. Will you take it?

And one will know the identity...of the Mole.

(the train stops at the railway station)

McHallyboo: May the winner's door please open!

(one of the three doors of the train slides open, and a figure steps out)

* * *

**And I finished this concluding chapter right before my tonsillectomy. The game really is coming to an end!**

**Temptation and truth lies in the next episode. Someone would leave disappointed. Someone would go home with the money. And someone would go home, with the satisfaction of a job well done. And please review! **

**I'd like to praise Firekai for being a reviewer for every one of my chapters! As a gift, whenever you want me to, I'll tell you who the Mole is.**

**Stay tuned for the finale everyone...the truth is soon to be revealed.**


	29. Personal Questions

_**Episode 7**_

Toadette. Blooper. Luigi. Three alive. Lakitu left in the final execution ceremony of the game. He was so close to the finale, but his gut instincts were wrong. Now returning back to a happy home, he ended the game well-played, well-lightened, and well-liked.

With only three remaining, trust is diminished and discovery is key. Only two have the continuous stress building up on them. But one of them has been acting this entire time. These three final players have no where to go after this episode, because they will all take their place in the end. One would be the loser. One, the winner of the entire game. And one to be finally unmasked as...the Mole.

* * *

**Blooper**

Surname: Inke

Birthday: November 4

Occupation: Sea Scavenger

-

**Toadette**

Surname: Rytoad

Birthday: June 26

Occupation: Emergency Nurse

-

**Luigi**

Surname: Mario

Birthday: January 18

Occupation: Plumber

* * *

Luigi: _Have I made it all the way to this point of the game by myself? Not at all, but I can't help but take credit for everything I've done. Final episode. Final chance to show what I'm a made of. Let's see what I'll do._

Toadette: _To _m_ake it to the final three is great. This is the last epis_o_de, so after this, the game is finished. I think I'm fina_l_ly ready to go home no matter what the results will b_e_._

Blooper: _I've kept an eye on what I've been doing throughout this entire game. And so far, I feel as if I hadn't accomplished enough. Even with that fact that I'm in the final three, I feel as if I have one more obstacle to get by._

* * *

"Greetings, Dr. Rytoad," Luigi said in a proper voice, pointing the video camera at Toadette. "Ready to help the world?"

"Yes, she's going to make a great doctor one day," Blooper said. "But I'll be the most famous sea explorer of all time. Digging up the Titanic, discovering Nessie...shall I go on?"

"And Luigi, you're not just a plumber," Toadette said. "You're more than that." Luigi looked down at the ground.

"Ahem, let's continue," said Luigi. "Who do you think the Mole is?" Toadette pointed to her left, at Blooper. As the camera went to Blooper, he pointed directly back to his right, at Toadette.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Both Blooper and Toadette pointed at the camera, at Luigi.

Luigi: _Ahh, we've bonded so close to each other. It's not what I came here for, to make friends. I came here to do my job, which did not include having genuine friendships._

Toadette: _I think the Mole at this point is glad to have been the Mole, because they got to stay the entire game and experience so much._

Blooper: _Yeah, I guess I have been enjoying myself a lot, even though I don't show it at all. It's been fun and most definitely worth it up to now._

* * *

**1. Are you the Mole? (Say yes and explain how)**

Toadette: _I am the Mole. I do my job with a quick wit, a clear mind, and a short, focused body._

Blooper: _I'm the Mole, and I can say that because I tend to be able to hide some information about myself that the others will never know about._

Luigi: _Yes, I'm the Mole. Mostly on the fact that I act so clue-less during the games and quizzes, and still manage to stay in the game._

**2. Are you the Mole? (Say no and explain why)**

Toadette: _I'm not the Mole, pretty much because then that would mean that I can't win the money, and my goal is to win the money. I've already completed my first goal, which was to discover how far I can go. Since I did that, I'm now onto Goal #2._

Blooper: _I'm not the Mole. To be the Mole, you have to deceive people. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't been deceiving anybody up to this point. And everything's just so contrary, so I can't really prove if I'm the Mole or not, even though I know I'm not the Mole._

Luigi:_ I'm not the Mole for the simple reason that plumbers have nothing to with lying, sabotage, or deception. And all of those actions are simply out of my capability. But I can assure that nobody, nobody has been completely hot on my trail._

**3. If you win the game, what would you do with the money?**

Toadette: _If I win the money, I'll help my sister go through college, and then get a higher education for myself so I could finally get a doctor's degree. Then we'll probably spend the rest of the money on renovating our house because we've always wanted a bigger home. I don't know why, we only have three people. But we never know who else would come._

Blooper: If I win the money, well, first of all I can't guarantee if I'll win or not. But if you want me to count my chickens before they hatch, then my choice of money spending would be on a larger boat, a new videography studio, and I want to say to help the homeless, but I'm sure that you know how that turns out in most cases. But seriously, I really will document the lives of the poor if I win this game.

Luigi: _If I got the money and ended up winning all of it...I'll first show Mario and he'll be astonished. Then, I can boast about it and feel good. But what I think I'll really do is help the environment of the Mushroom Kingdom. Those sewer pipes really need a makeover, and I'll definitely help with the sanitation. Don't get me at all started on Rogueport..._

**4. What will the Mole do in this final episode?**

Toadette: _The Mole will sabotage. This is the Mole's last chance to do everything; this is the last episode, their last opportunities to sabotage the game. I feel like the Mole is going to be at their maximum._

Blooper: _I feel like the Mole would try to get people onto their sides, and then sabotage the game completely. Also point lots of suspicion towards others, but mainly, sabotage a lot in this final round._

Luigi: _The Mole will do anything this round to kill the team, well, I mean the other two people. But how should I know? I'm not the Mole._

* * *

The players were going into their next game. Ahead of them, below where they were standing, was a grand town. Houses littered every end of the path, and McHallyboo looked at them, his face as ambiguous like always.

"Good morning," he said. "Welcome to the first challenge of your last episode. It's now officially the beginning of the end, so better start successful than in failure, much to the Mole's opposition. Early this morning, you had written down your answers to a series of personal questions about each other. Some of them were strange, some of them embarrassing, and some of them were just downright offensive. This is the Three Questions Game, and it'll test how well you know one another. One by one, you'll be sequestered in this town somewhere, hiding inside one of these houses." McHallyboo pointed at the various houses in front of them.

"For example, Blooper, you'll be going first," McHallyboo explained. "Luigi and Toadette, it's up to you two to find him. To find him, you must answer three questions correctly. You get them all right, you are led to Blooper and will win 10,000 coins for the team pot. If you get at least one of them wrong, you'll be going down the wrong path and will not find Blooper, losing the money. There'll be a total of three rounds, so the maximum amount of cash you can get from this challenge is 30,000 coins. Blooper, follow me." Blooper went ahead, following the host and led to a house somewhere in the distance. A few minutes later, McHallyboo came back.

"Luigi, Toadette, follow me this way."

* * *

The two players stopped at the first intersection of the town trail. McHallyboo suddenly turned around and took a card out from his pocket.

"Okay, this is the first question," read McHallyboo. "The other two players have been bitten by a deadly snake, and you only have anti-venom for one of them. Who would you choose to give it to?" Luigi stood where he was, flabbergasted. Toadette was uncomfortable.

"If you say Luigi, go this way," the host said, pointing to the left trail. "If you think Blooper said Toadette, then go down the trail on the right." Luigi and Toadette looked at each other.

"Well, by just looking at this question," Luigi said slowly, "I think Blooper would want us to think that he'd give it to you. On the fact that you're so young, and that I would be like, 'Oh, give it to her'."

"I think it's just because I'm a girl," Toadette agreed, and the both of them laughed. "But I also think that Blooper would give me the anti-venom."

"I also think there might be a gender issue playing in his mind," thought Luigi. "So, we're going right, because we believe Blooper would give the anti-venom to Toadette. Not me, of course."

"Okay, follow me," said McHallyboo, leading them further into the town.

"And we don't even know if we got it correct," Toadette realized with a laugh.

"I'm sure we did," Luigi reassured.

* * *

They walked until they reached their second fork in the road.

"Question 2," read McHallyboo. "Who would be less likely to donate money to a homeless man?" The two of them thought carefully.

"I am a strong supporter of the poor people," Luigi declared. "How about you?"

"I'd definitely help a poor man," said Toadette. "I'm not rich myself, but if I ever saw a homeless man then I would help him."

"That's right," Luigi said suddenly. "Remember when you helped that old guy with that cart in Episode 6? He wasn't poor, or anything, I mean, so let's go with me. I would be less likely to donate money to a homeless chap."

"Okay," said Toadette. "We'll go with you."

"Left," Luigi decided. McHallyboo and the two of them continued down.

* * *

They reached a little corner, in where two doors were positioned. Two houses, two choices.

"This is your last question," McHallyboo told them. "Who would have less people attend their funeral?" Luigi pondered at the question. Toadette looked uncomfortable again.

"I don't want to say myself," Toadette admitted.

"But I think that'll be true," Luigi said, then changed his mind. "Well, okay. Let's look at Blooper's point of view. Maybe he would say me."

"I think Blooper would say me," Toadette said.

"Why?" Luigi asked.

"Because if you die, you'll be more popular and more well-known," said Toadette. "I'll have people at my funeral, but not as many as you would have. So I'll say me."

"If that's your answer, please knock on the door on the right," instructed McHallyboo. "If Blooper is behind the door, it means that you answered all his questions correctly. If not, well, we have to go back, which means that you don't win 10,000 coins." Toadette knocked on the door, and waited patiently. Nobody answered, until a drunken Bob-omb stumbled out.

"Blooper Inke?" she asked.

"Ai, you botherin' me schnitzels," he sputtered, and then shut the door. Both players were baffled.

"I'm sorry," said McHallyboo. "You did not find Blooper. Let's retrace our steps and see where he really was."

"Bummer," Luigi said. "I knew we had answered something wrong."

* * *

The players followed McHallyboo all the way back to their first road fork, then went the other way. After another long, monotonous travel, they reached Door 28. They ran the doorbell, and Blooper came out.

"I guess you didn't find me," Blooper said in a disappointed voice. McHallyboo took out the questions from his jacket.

"Since Luigi and Toadette had answered at least one of your questions wrong, let's see where exactly they had messed up," he told him. "Question 1 was, the other two players have been bitten by a deadly snake, and you only have anti-venom for one of them. Who would you choose to give it to?"

"I chose Luigi," Blooper said.

"I thought you would choose Toadette," Luigi piped up.

"It's because we all know how good of a doctor Toadette is going to become," Blooper explained even more. "And, well, she could easily find some way to heal herself from a snake bite, without the anti-venom. So I would have given it to you, Luigi." Toadette was struck with confusion. Luigi shrugged.

"For the question about the homeless man, I think Toadette would be kind enough to give him money, more likely than Luigi would," Blooper explained ever further. "And the question about the funeral, well, I just had a feeling that Luigi would have a lot of mourners. So you got one wrong out of the three."

"So because you failed to find Blooper, you do not add 10,000 coins to the pot," said McHallyboo. "But you still have the chance to add an extra 20,000 coins. Toadette, it's now your turn to be hidden."

Toadette: _For Blooper to come up with the excuse that I was able to heal myself from a snake bite on my own, made no sense at all._

* * *

"Question 1," said McHallyboo, reading off the question to Blooper and Luigi. "If Toadette were to choose between the two of you, who would she choose for a boyfriend?" Both players looked at each other, faces unsure, and laughed.

"Awkward," said Blooper.

"So who would Toadette pick?" wondered Luigi, in a voice that implied the answer to be Blooper.

"I think she would choose you," Blooper said truthfully.

"But I already have a girlfriend," Luigi pointed out. "I think Toadette would respect Daisy's position and choose you. So McHallyboo, which person is which way again?"

"If you think it's Blooper, go left," said McHallyboo. "If you think Toadette chose Luigi, go right."

"We'll go left," Luigi said. "Toadette would never say me." They followed the host down the trail.

* * *

"Question 2," read McHallyboo, turning around. "Who is more likely to fake their own death?"

"For what reason?" Luigi asked with amusement.

"Maybe if we wanted to get some inheritance," Blooper thought. "Though that's the only reason I could think of."

"But then who's more likely to do that?" asked Luigi. "I can't really see myself faking my own death."

"But I can," said Blooper. "For some reason, I can see you faking your own death in some sort of way to gain fame. Strange, yes. But possible." Luigi nodded.

"So we're pretty much going for a guess here," said Luigi.

"Right," Blooper confirmed. "But I'm saying that we should go by some sort of sense." Choosing Luigi for their answer, they took the path on the right and went towards their last question."

* * *

"This is your last question," McHallyboo told them. "Toadette is on a sinking ship in the middle of a lake. Who would be more successful in saving her? If you think Luigi would, knock on the right door. If you think Blooper would, knock on the left door."

"I'll say myself," Blooper said. "Do you agree?"

"I have a gut feeling that the answer would be me," Luigi told him.

"But I'm a good swimmer and would actually be able to save her," Blooper pointed out. "No offense, but you wouldn't be able to even reach her in time. She would drown."

"But we actually talked about this the day before," argued Luigi, his eyes getting wide. "Toadette has more trust in me than you. And the whole picture of a sinking ship is irrelevant. The question is really asking us, who does she trust more? And I know that she trusts me."

"No, it doesn't," Blooper argued back. "The question is asking us which person would be more likely to rescue Toadette from a sinking ship. And that's me."

"Well, I'm saying me," Luigi concluded. "And you can think whatever you want, because I'm not a changing my decision."

"I need your final answer," McHallyboo said. "Blooper or Luigi?"

"Luigi," said Luigi.

"Fine," said Blooper, giving in. "Luigi." He sighed and went over to knock the door on the right. Nobody answered for a full thirty seconds.

"Knock again," suggested Luigi. Blooper knocked again.

"I'm sorry to say that she's not there," McHallyboo told them. "You got the wrong door again. Toadette, come out." Toadette popped out of the door...on the left. Door 27.

"Hey, you guys stink at this!" Toadette said. "But close enough."

"Toadette, would you like to explain your answer to that last question?" McHallyboo asked. "The question, you are on a sinking ship in the middle of a lake. Who would be more successful in saving her?"

"I thought Blooper would save me," she explained, "only because he's a sea explorer and is native to the water. So I thought he would be more successful in saving me than Luigi would be. To be honest, I don't even think Luigi would be able to reach the middle of the lake."

"That's exactly what I thought too," Blooper muttered.

"I thought that you would say me," Luigi told her. "I guess it was my fault for thinking incorrectly."

"Any explanation for the first question?" McHallyboo said slyly. Toadette blushed and shook her head.

"Well, because the two of you answered Luigi instead, you don't win the 10,000 coins," McHallyboo said. "That's two strikes in a row. The Mole is doing a good job in this challenge, and well, now, this is your last chance. Luigi, follow me. It's time for you to be sequestered in this town, away from the others." Luigi walked away with McHallyboo, a smile on his face. Blooper turned to Toadette.

"You saw that," he said.

"I know, I know," Toadette replied. She looked ahead at Luigi.

Blooper: _It seemed strange that Luigi was so convinced that the answer was him. Because of that single mistake, we lost the money._

Toadette: _Whenever Blooper and I are alone, we gather up our suspicions for Luigi._

* * *

"First question we asked Luigi," said McHallyboo. "Who is more likely to become obese in the future?"

"I think you would," Blooper said.

"I was thinking that Luigi would say you," Toadette told him. "I don't think Luigi would ever see me as fat."

"Girls can gain so much weight after pregnancy," Blooper pointed out. "Hence the reason why you would be more likely to become obese." Toadette stood still.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Then that would mean I would be obese for only a few months, not for the rest of my life."

"Better than going with me," said Blooper. "So I'm going with you. Is that okay?"

"I know that in my heart I'm going to take care of my body until I die," Toadette said in defense. "I'm never going to become obese."

"Look, the question asks, 'who's more likely,'" pointed out Blooper. "Not in any way implying that either you or I will become obese. And this is just a game. Not a fortune teller predictor". Toadette nodded reluctantly, and they traveled right.

* * *

"Question 2: Who is more likely to kill a puppy?"

"Blooper," Toadette said immediately.

"Why?"

"Because I would never harm an animal," Toadette explained. "And you kill animals in the ocean. So the answer is not me. It's you."

"Okay, no objections," said Blooper. "Luigi would have probably chosen me over anybody." He laughed as the two of them walked further down into the town, up to their last fork.

* * *

"Question 3," McHallyboo said, stopping in front of the last pair of doors. "Who is more likely to abandon their own children when they begin a family?" Both players were equally disturbed.

"I hate these questions," Toadette said in a disgusted tone

"But we have to answer them," Blooper said, his teeth clenched nervously. "Who would be the answer, do you think?"

"Me," she said immediately. Blooper was surprised.

"I would say me, actually," he said. "But it's up to you. I have no idea why you would say yourself."

"I don't know, I just feel that Luigi would answer that way," Toadette explained. "It's a horrible question, but I feel that Luigi answered for me."

"Okay, well, I know how upset you get over these questions," Blooper told her. "So going with me is no problem. I'll never be offended."

"No, let's go with me," she insisted. "I'll say me. I have that feeling that Luigi said me so I'm sticking with me."

"And Blooper?" asked McHallyboo.

"I want to answer me, just to make the situation happier," he admitted. "But I guess I'll go with what Toadette thinks. Our answer is Toadette."

"So you're saying that Luigi thinks Toadette is more likely to abandon her own children when she grows up," McHallyboo said. "Please knock on Door 13. If Luigi is behind there, you win the money." Toadette went up to Door 13 and knocked on it, waiting for a reply.

"Hello?" someone replied from the other side. Luigi hopped out, and Blooper clapped.

"Finally, a win!" Blooper said. "More like luck, really."

"I'm not amused," Toadette said truthfully. "I can't believe you answered that last question for me."

"I chose randomly!" Luigi explained. "I thought it was a mean, strange question. So I just chose a random name between you two. So you know, don't get mad or anything." Toadette didn't say anything.

"It's just a game," Luigi said reassuringly.

"Yup, and we won ten thousand coins, so no complaints," Blooper told them. "I was worried that the Mole would kill this challenge completely."

"Since all nine questions had been asked, that's the end of the Three Questions Game," McHallyboo said. "Out of a possible thirty thousand coins, you were able to achieve only a third of it."

**Team Pot**

**190,000 Coins**

"So how much was the Mole in play here? Could the Mole have been the cause of any of this? The three of you have probably asked yourselves these questions hundreds of times before, but now, you have to think even more. The reason being, we're almost at the end." All three players nodded.

* * *

**Yes, the classic three questions game. We play this game all the time during our school free time, ande usually quit whever the questions get too personal.**

**So who is actually the Mole out of these determined three players? Well, my hint is, the Mole will be at their most brutal behavior this final round. The Mole will be playing very dirty. It's up to the other two to stop them. **

**Please leave a review! The game is almost done after a full year. The Mole is coming back on ABC this Monday. Stay tuned!**


	30. Japanese Feasting

**Episode 7, part 2**

The players had just returned back from their painful challenge. After having enough time to refresh themselves in their own rooms, they all met back at the lobby. This time seemed different though from all the other times they had met in a lobby. It was only the three of them.

Blooper: _The Three Questions game was intriguing. I liked the idea, but some of the questions were just plain embarrassing. Like for example, whom I would rather save with a bottle of anti-venom. I would definitely save both Luigi and Toadette, no doubt. But I had to choose one of the answers, and it ended up being the wrong one._

Toadette: _I thought the Three Questions game was really stupid. There were a lot of stupid questions we were forced to answer, and some of them did hurt me. But the only way a game can get under your skin is if it's stupid._

Luigi: _It just so happened to be that we got that last question wrong. I was entirely convinced Toadette would choose me over Blooper on that last question about saving her on a sinking ship. It just doesn't fit, why I would try to sabotage like that. I tried with my best answer, but we ended up losing the money. Blooper let me manipulate him, so it's reasonable to blame him._

"I don't want to play another game so soon," Luigi whined.

"What makes you think that?" Toadette asked.

"Because we're in the lobby." Blooper laughed.

"I have a feeling that McHallyoo is going to pop out from somewhere," he told them. They all looked around the hotel floor with smiles on their faces. There was no sign of the host anywhere. Where he was, or what he was planning next, was always unknown.

"The final three," said Blooper. "One of us will be a very rich person. One of us is the Mole."

"Before we say anything else," Luigi piped up, "can we all say something together? That we'll forgive the Mole? Forgive the Mole afterwards for all the trouble and deceit they had caused in this game?" Nobody said anything for a second.

"I'll definitely forgive the Mole," agreed Blooper. "It's all okay. The Mole hasn't harmed anybody."

"Yeah," Toadette said. "What is there to forgive the Mole for? It's the Mole's job, to show no mercy. This is all a huge game anyway."

"Okay," said Luigi. "I agree with the two of you."

"But I still feel that one of us here is being played right now, possibly two," Toadette said. "It's too late now, because we've already trusted people."

Toadette: _I was referring to the coalition between Blooper and Luigi. It's not a coalition, because I know that one of them is the Mole, and I know that that person will stab the other in the back when it gets to the end. And that's what scares me the most._

Luigi:_ Blooper, in my mind, is not the Mole. He can't be. He gave me so much knowledge for this game. He's been the one telling me all his theories, all his guesses, and his entire plan for this game._

"I felt that same way for Daisy," Luigi said guiltily. "At times, I thought that she could have been the Mole. Guess I was wrong."

"Trust is definitely an issue," Blooper said in a low voice.

Blooper: _I know who the Mole is. I've been so sure in the past, but I've never been 100 percent sure. I have many mixed feelings for Toadette, but also a lot of mixed feelings for Luigi too._

* * *

The next game was going to become their last. All three players were brought to the edge of a magnificent pond, or lake, depending on what people wanted to call it. Behind the lake was the town's biggest mall. Blooper stared at the water. Toadette looked at the parking lot. Luigi stood in front of the host.

"Hello players," McHallyboo. "Welcome to your last game. I know this came a bit sooner than you thought it would, but, well, this really is the last episode." The players were almost stunned to hear what the host had just announced to them.

Blooper:_ We arrive at a huge lake, and McHallyboo says to us 'Welcome to your last game'. And he convinced me that he was telling the truth._

Toadette:_ To know that we were going to play our last game brought so much relief to me. It meant that we were going home after this._

Luigi:_ My mind had a million thoughts racing through it. I didn't even know whether to a believe McHallyboo or not._

"Your mission is to reach me, sixty miles from here," McHallyboo intructed them. "You will begin with one hour to do so. It just so happens that the speed limit in this part of the world is no more than 60 miles per hour. If you reach me in time, you win 50,000 coins. Not only is this the largest you've ever played for, but this finally completes the pot maximum of 500,000 coins. Right now, you only have 190,000 coins. Not bad, but it's not even at the half-mark, which I must admit, is quite a failure."

"We tried our best," Luigi said sheepishly.

"This will be called the Journey of Completion," McHallyboo told them. "You'll be instructed to stop at places along the way and play miniature challenges. Some involve all of you, and some are restricted to only one person. For every one you succeed, you get time added to your clock. If you fail one, time is subtracted from your clock. If you want, you can even skip the challenge, but skipping the challenges alone won't help you to reach me in time." The players nodded.

"Nobody will be allowed to have a timer of any sort, except for me," McHallyboo continued. "So play wisely and efficiently. Do not break any rules. Keep everything under control and reach me in time. Remember, this is your last game for money." He handed them an envelope, then headed off to the van behind him. None of the three players bothered to open the envelope that had been handed to them, but instead watched the host enter the van, close the door, and be driven off without looking back at the other three.

"I guess that's it," said Blooper. "He left us."

"Let's go!" Luigi said in realization. "The game has begun already! Hurry, open the envelope!" Toadette opened the envelope and read its contents.

"Here, it says, 'To begin your game, you must first find your car.'" She pointed at the parking lot at the other side of the pond; among the two-hundred and sixty five cars, only one of them was theirs to use for their challenge.

"Over there," said Toadette. "Our car is probably in that parking lot somewhere."

"Wait, what's that at the bottom of the paper?" Luigi noticed. "I see a little message."

"'Find its location by finding the secret bottle." They all looked at the bottom of the paper, where another message was written out.

**Getting Wet: Five Minute Penalization**

"Then I'm guessing it's in the pond," Luigi said. "Somewhere. As long as we don't get wet, we won't get penalized."

"A message in a bottle," Blooper said with amusement. "Makes sense, so let's look for it. Toadette, go to the parking lot over there and try to look for the car we need."

"How should I know which one is ours?" she asked. "There's over a hundred cars in that parking lot. It'll be impossible to find it in time."

"Anything," Blooper told her. "The color, the license plate. Any clue that'll point to a certain car." Toadette ran ahead to the parking lot, and Blooper and Luigi looked out at the water in front of them.

"Let's split," suggested Blooper, and they both ran opposite directions around the pond. In search of the bottle, the two players strained their eyes to look for any sign of floating debris.

"I found it!" Luigi called out a minute later. As he bent over to reach for the bottle, Blooper ran towards to where Luigi was.

"You got it?" Blooper asked him. Luigi got onto his knees and reached even more. No matter how hard he tried, his reach was limited by the length of his arm.

"I...almost," Luigi said, getting up onto one foot. Suddenly, he fell forwards. With a yell, he splashed into the water, head first, and then resurfaced in shock. Blooper moaned with disbelief.

"Mama mia!" Luigi sputtered, picking up his soaked hat and putting it onto the dry edge of the pond. Blooper pointed wide-eyed at the bottle.

"Get it before it floats away!" he said. "It's useless now! We got the penalty already, so might as well get it." Luigi grabbed the floating bottle and swam over to Blooper, handing the object over to him. Blooper helped him out.

"Are you okay?" Blooper asked him with a grin. Luigi shook his head and twisted a large amount of water out of his hat.

Luigi: _I was just so concentrated on getting that bottle that I forgot what position I was in. Before I knew what was happening, I had already tipped myself into the pond. _

Blooper: _Luigi fell into the water...incredible. I wasn't sure whether it was stupidity, or something else._

"Just open the bottle," Luigi muttered, jumping up and down to remove all the remaining water in his clothes. "I knew I shouldn't have leaned over like that." Blooper removed the cork and let the contents spill out onto his tentacle; a set of keys. Immediately, the two of them ran over to the parking lot.

_Because Luigi had gotten wet while retrieving the bottle, the team was penalized five minutes. Now, only fifty-one minutes remained._

"Toadette," Blooper called out, getting her attention. She was trying to look inside a green colored van.

"Did you get the bottle?" she asked. Luigi came into view, still drenched.

"Wow, what happened to you?" she said. "Did you fall into the pond? Are you hurt?"

"Don't get all worried," Blooper said. "Luigi can dry up on the way to our next location. Right now, we have the keys."

"But how will we find it?" Luigi mumbled out loud. Blooper held the keys up in the air and pressed the PANIC button. From thirty yards away, an irritating beeping sound began. All three players walked together through the crowd of parked cars and found the source of vexation; a mint-green colored car with a license plate that read **MLELOM**.

"I was thinking it would be a green car," said Toadette with a smile.

"Yeah, at least we don't have to walk anymore," Blooper said. "Let's get moving. Uh, who's driving? I'm not driving."

"I will not drive due to the fear that I might not be able to pay attention to anything on the road," Luigi announced. "And I am wet."

"I just got my license two weeks before the show started," said Toadette. "But I'm not the best driver alive."

"Look, Luigi is soaked," Blooper pointed out. "Toadette, you're in perfect health. Nothing's wrong with you. So drive our car." Toadette rolled her eyes and entered through the driver's side.

Toadette: _I hated the way Blooper began to rule over me, forcing me to do everything that he said. But you know, when you're getting stressed out from being the Mole you tend to get aggravated over little things._

"Well, I did make my first appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash," said Toadette, starting the car.

"I shouldn't have leaned over like that," complained Luigi. He let out a sigh, and then shifted over to the seat next to him. Blooper leaned forwards to pick up a brochure from the passenger seat and studied it carefully.

"Where should we go?" Toadette asked. Blooper turned the brochure over to look at the back; _The Tokei Restaurant._

"This is definitely a clue," Blooper said. "I'm sure that this is our next location." He looked at the other side of the brochure. _Located in the Coconut Mall._

"Okay, everyone out of the car. We're not driving after all." Luigi groaned and got out of the car. Toadette and Blooper laughed as they got out of the car too. With time wasted and time to recover, all three players ran towards the mall in a hurry.

* * *

They arrived at the Japanese restaurant. Nobody was dining, except for a Birdo, who smiled at them as they approached the table she was sitting at. She was the restaurant's manager.

"Welcome," she said. As she bowed, they bowed back at her.

"This will be your first mini-challenge for your Journey of Completion. In a moment, the conveyor belt will be moving." The players turned around to look at the conveyor belt that travelled its way around the restaurant. There was nothing upon it, yet.

"Plates with covers will begin to come out. Count carefully; only the plates of prime numbers will have photographs. You will need these photographs for your next task. If you lift a wrong cover, there will be sushi. The sushi must be finished before you can lift another plate."

"I love sushi!" Luigi exclaimed.

"What do the photographs show?" Toadette asked.

"I can only tell you once the first photograph is found," she replied. "Remember, prime numbers is what will make you find them. So, I will be starting the conveyor belt now. Good luck!" She got up, handed them all chopsticks, and left behind the curtain folds in the back of the restaurant. Suddenly, a gentle buzzing sound filled the air as the belt began to move. The first plate came out.

"Prime numbers," said Blooper. "Lift the cover!"

"Are you sure that the number one is prime?" Luigi told him. "I thought the first prime number was five." Plate after plate began to appear, though they all had a different design from the first plate which had appeared.

"The definition of a prime number is a number which has only two factors," remembered Toadette. "One and itself."

"I'm voting for us to lift it," said Blooper. "I'm sure it's prime, well, I'm almost sure." Toadette lifted the cover of the first plate; two rolls of sushi.

"Argh," said Luigi. Toadette put one of the rolls into her mouth. Luigi took the other one and stuffed it into his mouth too. He coughed it back up.

"What's wrong with you?" Blooper said. "You don't like it?"

"I hate this kind of sushi!" Luigi exclaimed. "I can't eat it. You eat it."

"Are you kidding me? You just stuck the whole thing into your mouth!"

"Soy sauce." Blooper grabbed a saucer and went over to the nearest table to fill it with soy sauce. Soaked with the black sauce, Luigi successfully swallowed his sushi piece.

"I got one!" Toadette said, picking it up from the other side of the room. Blooper and Luigi ran over to where she was. The conveyor belt was moving too fast for their pace, and was already reaching its first rotation.

"What does it show?"

"It's a cliff," she said, looking at it with confusion. She turned it over.

**_Look familiar? Put this into two piles; the wins and the losses._**

"The Cliff Springs game," she said with realization. She lifted the third plate and saw another photograph, showing a bag with a green thumbprint on it.

"We need someone to put these into the correct piles," said Blooper. "I'll do that job. Luigi and Toadette, find the photographs and put them on this table." The both of them nodded and headed back to the belt. Blooper sat down and examined the pictures.

"Number five is prime," said Toadette, lifting the fifth plate. She handed a photograph of an egg in a limousine over to Blooper. Luigi lifted the cover of the seventh plate, then the ninth. The first plate he revealed had a picture of a dining table. The second, however, had a piece of sushi.

"No, not again," Luigi said. "Nine has a factor of three! I must have forgotten about that." He dipped the sushi in soy sauce and ate it, chewing it slowly and closing his eyes. Toadette watched him with amusement.

Toadette: _Watching Luigi eat sushi was funny. Especially when in the beginning of the challenge, he even stated himself, "I love sushi!"_

"Eleven is prime," Luigi said. He lifted the cover to find a photograph of a store, and then gave it over to Blooper's table.

"We lost the Cliff Springs challenge," Blooper said, sorting the photographs into two piles. "We lost the Baggage challenge. We won the Egg Transfer game, we lost the Acquired/Accustomed game, we had lost the Clue Challenge." Luigi dropped a picture displaying a mail package next to Blooper, plus a photo that showed Luigi at the edge of a cliff.

"We lost both the Late Delivery game and the Hostage Rescue. How coincidental." He then received a picture of a jail cell, which he put into the winning pile.

"Twenty three," said Toadette. She lifted the cover and discovered sushi.

"That's strange. I thought 23 was a prime number."

"It is!" said Luigi. "You must have lost track of the count." Toadette ate the small piece of salmon roe sushi and looked around.

"Then how are we supposed to know which plate we started with?" Toadette asked. "The entire belt is full. Some of these plates were empty to begin with."

"Wait," remember Luigi. He went down the conveyor belt until he spotted the plate with the bamboo design.

"This one. Let's start counting prime numbers from here." Both of them went down the line carefully, and then after confirming the correct prime numbers with each other, they lifted the next four correct covers; plate 23, plate 29, plate 31, and plate 37. Revealed were photos of an outdoor market place, a die, a train, and a large bell, all of which were given to Blooper.

"We...lost the Sell and Laugh challenge...or maybe we had won that after all." Blooper looked at the photo.

Blooper: _Some of the games we had done were half-wins. I couldn't judge it on that, so I was assuming that we had lost those challenges._

"We won the Craps challenge." He looked over at Toadette's dyed pigtails.

"We won the Train game, and we lost the Bell of Endurance challenge. Come on guys, keep going! We need all the pictures of our challenges to pass." Luigi lifted plate 39.

"No, that's a multiple of thirteen," Luigi said in a voice of regret. He grabbed one piece of the salmon sushi and swallowed it.

"How much sushi are we going to end up eating?" Toadette wondered, eating the other piece. They continued on and lifted the next correct plate; 41. Then they lifted plates 43 and 47, all of which were prime. Blooper received pictures showing a sewer cave, a washing machine, and a work of abstract art in a museum.

"We lost, or won..." Blooper looked confused.

"I think we lost the Relatives challenge. We lost the Laundry race challenge. And we lost the Exhibit challenge." He placed them into their piles.

"I lost count," said Toadette. The conveyor belt was moving faster. "Did you?"

"I did too," said Luigi. "But the next prime numbers are 53, 59, and 61." Both players went all the way back to the beginning of the plate chain and counted their way up. Meanwhile, Blooper decided to change his opinion about the games they had half-won on. He took them out of the Lose pile and transferred them over to the Win pile.

"Plate 53," said Toadette lifting the cover and grabbing the photo. "Plate 59..."

"And plate 61!" Luigi said, grabbing the last photograph. "We got a them all! Okie-dokie, let's a go." Dropping them off at Blooper's table they all looked on. The three remaining photographs displayed a Mecha-Koopa, a dim-lit parlor, and a lie detector.

"We won the Koopa Spelling challenge," Blooper said. "We lost McHallyboo's Funhouse. And we won the Flawed Lie Detector game." He straightened out each pile evenly and stood up.

"Hurry, let's go now."

"Wait, we should all double check the piles," Toadette said. Blooper sat back down, as both Toadette and Luigi looked over the photographs of their previous games.

"Did we win or lose the Baggage challenge?" Luigi asked. "We only gained five thousand coins in that game out of twenty thousand."

"That's what I've been wondering about," said Blooper. He went through the pictures of the win pile.

"Yup, all those were correct," Toadette confirmed. Blooper flipped slowly through the lose pile. He stopped at the picture of the washing machine.

"Wait, we didn't lose the Laundry Race game," Luigi realized. "We won that challenge. Remember?"

"Are you sure?" Blooper asked her. "I remember us losing that challenge, specifically."

"We did win the Laundry Race game," said Toadette. "I remember Peach being with us, because she was the heroine of the game."

Luigi: _I would have easily made the same mistake that Blooper had done. The Laundry Race challenge was a tough game. I thrived in it, so that was the only reason I knew we had succeeded in it._

"Yeah, the rules were screwed up, so that must have confused me." Blooper moved the photo over to the other pile. After checking and going through each pile for a second time, the three players went over to bring their photographs to the birdo. The birdo looked at each pile carefully, and then smiled.

"Good job," she said. "You have added fifteen minutes to your timer." The players high-fived each other with success.

**TIME REMAINING: 58 MINUTES**

"That's less than what we had started with," realized Toadette.

"Yeah, but remember, we did waste a lot of time looking for the keys to the car," Blooper said.

"I want to eat more," Luigi moaned. "I'm hungry." He looked at the sushi circling around the conveyor belt. Blooper pulled him away as the three of them left the restaurant.

* * *

Outside, they searched in vain for their car.

"Where was it?" Blooper asked them. "I can't see it anywhere."

"It was that way," said Luigi, pointing towards the left of the mall. "I'm almost certain that we had come from there." They walked towards the left side of the parking lot and found no sign of their car. In fact, they barely saw any cars on the left side of the mall.

"I don't think it's here," said Toadette. "We entered the mall from the right side." The three of them walked through the parking lot, searching for the familiar green car they had just been in minutes ago.

"The license plate," Luigi said. "I don't remember it. But it was an odd one."

"I think somebody took our car," said Blooper.

"Where are the keys?" Toadette said suddenly. Blooper looked at Luigi.

"How should I know?" said Luigi. "Toadette was sitting in the driver's seat. She should know."

"Yeah, but I never took the keys," she said. "We never drove. One of you guys had it." Luigi looked uncomfortable. Blooper looked annoyed.

"Everyone check your pockets," Blooper said. They all did, searching in every place of their clothing where they could have possibly placed them. There was no sound of metal clanking coming from anywhere.

"Blooper, you pressed the panic button," Toadette remembered. "You must have had it last."

"Then I could have sworn I gave it to someone else," said Blooper. "But the only thing I'm sure of right now is that none of us has the keys."

"Did you lose the keys? How are we supposed to get into the car?"

"Is our car really stolen or are we just being stupid?"

* * *

**No, Blooper, Toadette, and Luigi were just having a lost moment, not being stupid. If they were stupid, none of them would have even made it to the final round of the game. And their car is in fact still in the parking lot. The keys? Well, they are IN the car.**

**Watch out for hidden clues! Huge ones will appear in this final episode. **

**The first two episodes of the Mole US Season 5 were AWESOME! Youtube has it, thanks to a good samaritan. The only thing I dislike is that the original music is gone. However, the intro music is amazing. Also, so far, all the challenges have been physical, so hopefully that would change in Episode 3. And also, guessing the Mole is hard.** **The people whom I thought were the Mole got executed first and second, and now I'm ranging between three suspects. Overall, it's great to have the Mole back and airing, all new and refreshed!**

**Please review! And also about the new season if you had seen it! Don't miss the new episode this Monday night, at 10 P.M., on ABC.**

* * *


	31. Smelling Sabotage

**Holy crap. I just watched the fourth episode of the US Mole, and after seeing the journal burning, I just remembered that I HAD FORGOTTEN TO INCLUDE JOURNALS IN THIS GAME. Darn, maybe next season? Anyway, enjoy part 3!**

* * *

**_Episode 7, Part 3_**

After seven inappropriate minutes of searching for their car, Toadette spotted the familiar mint-green color in the mixture of vehicles.

"Hey, it's here!" she called out. Blooper ran over to the car, shaking his head. Luigi was already out of breath.

"Yup, that's our car," Luigi said, looking at the clue-indicating license plate. "It wasn't stolen after all."

Blooper: _My worst fear had come true. As I look into the window of the car I spot the keys, in the backseat. Someone was responsible._

"And the keys are right there," said Blooper, looking into the windshield glass. "I see them." Blooper looked at Luigi, sighed, and then sat on the ground.

"I didn't put them there!" Luigi protested. "You did. You pressing the panic button in the beginning was enough proof to prove you had it last. Ha!" Blooper picked at the concrete floor.

"Well, it's locked," Luigi said. "I don't see how we can get inside now. Should we just quit?" Toadette shook her head.

"No, we shouldn't just quit," Toadette told them. "The game is still going. We have a chance of winning these 50,000 coins before sixty minutes. All we have to do is think and be smart like we've always done before. Let's all think of a smart way of getting into the car." Blooper suddenly stood up.

"The skipping stones around the pond!" he said. "I tossed some across the water, and it they can skip, then that means they're able to break glass. I'll be back."

"Err, yeah, that makes sense," said Luigi, as Blooper ran to the pond. He returned with a few stones in his tentacle.

"You're going to break the glass?!" Toadette said with disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

"What else can we do?" said Blooper. He drew back and aimed for his shot. Luigi backed away as Blooper threw the first stone at the passenger seat window, which did nothing but bounce off the glass.

"It didn't work," Luigi said, who was both relieved but disappointed at the same time. As Blooper threw the second stone at the window, it shattered. Toadette screamed, and Blooper ducked away as glass flew in the air. He looked at the broken window.

"Yes!" shouted Blooper with triumph. He reached in and unlocked the door.

"Why did you do that?" Toadette asked. "There's glass everywhere! We'll get cut."

"I don't care," said Blooper. "Let's go. And if it even makes you happier I'll be the one to drive this time." Blooper went around to the other side of the car and got into the driver's seat, while Luigi and Toadette got into the back of the car, avoiding any shards that might have landed on any of their seats.

"Careful, Luigi!" said Toadette, hastily pushing Luigi away from the piece of glass between them. She threw it out the window.

Toadette: _I was hoping that one of the other two would be smart and find a way into the car. Blooper did find a way into the car…but there wasn't anything smart about the way he did it._



* * *

"I told you to find a 'smart' way into getting into the car," Toadette said, as the players drove off to the local bookstore. "Shattering the window just to unlock the door of the car isn't smart, Blooper."

"It was pretty smart in my opinion," objected Luigi.

"Where did the birdo tell us to go again?" Blooper asked Luigi, stopping at the intersection in the road. "The bookstore, right?"

"Rightomundo," said Luigi. Blooper turned left.

"No!" Luigi said quickly. "Rightomundo as in right. Go right."

"Do you even have a map?" Blooper asked with wonder. He backed up and went down the other road. Toadette took Luigi's map and looked at it.

"There's a bookstore a mile down," she said. "It's called the Robinson Crusoe Bookstore. I think that's where we go next."

* * *

**38 MINUTES REMAINING**

The players got to their first location via vehicle. All of them got out of their car, avoiding the door with the shattered window, and looked up at the title of the bookstore they were at.

Toadette: _I loved the book Robinson Crusoe. I love books. We never had any television when I was young, so we either read books or died from boredom._

Luigi: _The image of a bookstore brought back many horrible memories to me from the Board the Train challenge. That was when I abandoned Birdo during the game and made myself look utterly useless._

They entered the store and found a Koopa-troopa, who was wearing a pair of thick bifocals and reading a book. He looked up at them.

"Hey, you must be the Mole players," he said. "I'm the owner of this store, Gary. Welcome to your next mini-challenge." The players nodded.

"This next challenge is all about one person and a famous romantic tragedy," he explained. "So I need the three of you to choose the person who best knows the play _Romeo and Juliet_ by William Shakespeare."

"I have never, ever read that book in my life," Luigi said. "Not me."

"I read _Romeo and Juliet_," said Toadette. "We were forced to in school, but I guess that counts."

"I've read that book also," said Blooper. "It's about two people falling in love and committing suicide at the end."

"Really?" asked Luigi. "You read Romeo and Juliet?" Blooper shook his head. Unanimously, the three of them chose Toadette to do their next game. Gary took out a pile of cards, all displaying words on them.

"This is your task," he said to Toadette. "Each of these cards has a word on them. You only need seven of them. Your job is to find the correct seven words and put them in the correct order and in result, spell out one of the most famous quotes spoken by Juliet in _Romeo and Juliet_. You get two tries. After your first, I'll tell you how many of the seven words you got correct in the correct spot. Then you get your second try. If it's still wrong, you get nothing. If it reads the infamous line, you will receive fifteen minutes for your timer. Good luck." He gave Toadette the cards, and all three of them went over to the nearest table.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said. "For the man in green and the squid. You cannot utter a single word to Toadette. However, you may feel free to wander the library and take out any books you feel are necessary." They nodded and faced Toadette, who had already laid down the cards on the table. On the bottom of each card read a tiny phrase: _Act 2, Scene 2, Line 33._ Toadette looked at the words before her on the table carefully.

_**At Fought That Federal Death It Art Wherefore Pass O Enemy Thou Montague Romeo Juliet Romeo Toadette Blooper Luigi Romeo Is McHallyboo Paris Mole Reveal Verona **_

The second pile had the following words.

_**Execution Order Birdo Daisy Doopliss Lakitu Peach Rawkhawk Race Try New Smooth Open Initially**_

"That's forty words," said Toadette with a sigh. She got rid of all the cards that had their names on it, leaving thirty words remaining. Luigi laughed.

"Give her as much concentration as you can," Blooper whispered to him. "Let's see her mess up." She looked at the words again.

"I think I know the line." She removed the three **Romeo **cards and put them in their own row. She then grabbed the card with the word **Wherefore**.

"Wherefore thou, Romeo," she said in her head. She grabbed the **Thou **card.

"Wherefore thou, Romeo," she repeated again. "Wherefore…Romeo, Romeo, wherefore thou, Romeo." She had her first five words in order: **Romeo Romeo Wherefore Thou Romeo. **Luigi held up two fingers.

"I know," said Toadette. "I need two more words." She thought carefully, and then picked up the cards **O **and **Montague**.

Blooper: _I had no idea what Toadette was doing. Whether she was close or completely lost, I couldn't judge._

Luigi: _Act 2, Scene 2, Line 33. Was that a clue? Two two three three? A phone number?_

**Montague Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore O thou Romeo?**

"I think I'm done," Toadette said. "This is my first guess." Gary came to her and leaned over her shoulder to look at the phrase she had written.

"Montague Romeo, Romeo," said Gary in an over-dramatic voice. "Wherefore O thou Romeo?" Toadette looked happy.

"Incorrect. One word is correct, but in the wrong place. Another word, I'm afraid, is completely wrong. Five are correct. Think hard. You only have one more try." Toadette sighed and removed both **Montague** and **O**.

"One of these is wrong," she said. She got rid of the **Montague **card and placed the **O **back where it had been.

**Romeo Romeo Wherefore O Thou Romeo**

She looked at the pile of remaining words. Thinking carefully, she picked the word **Each**, then placed it in between **Wherefore **and **O.**

**Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore O Each Thou Romeo?**

"No, that would put everything out of order," she realized. She took out the word **Each** and put it in between the two **Romeo** cards.

**Each Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore O Thou Romeo?**

She read the line over and over again, then decided to remove the word **Each**. In its place, she transferred the **O**.

**O** **Romeo Romeo Wherefore Thou Romeo**

"I'm still missing one," she said. She looked at the pile of remaining words, fitting each one into her line mentally. Toadette smiled as she saw the key word that she knew was necessary to complete the sentence.

**Art**

Placing it into her sentence, she stood up and looked at her seven cards for the final time.

**O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?**

"I'm finished," she told Gary. "This is my final answer." The bookstore owner walked over to look at the quote she had made.

"O Romeo," he said, in the same tone he had used last time. "Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" He scratched his chin.

"Sounds right to me. Congrats, you won." Blooper and Luigi cheered.

"Awesome!" said Luigi, giving Toadette a hug. "We had no idea what you were doing. Truthfully, we were afraid that you had no idea what you were doing yourself." Toadette laughed.

"Well, I guess taking AP English in high school does pay off," she said, shrugging.

"Well done," said the bookstore owner. "There was something, however, that would have made this challenge go a little faster. I think you all had noticed the phrase 'Line 33, Act 2, Scene 2' on each of Toadette's cards. I told the other two that they could not speak to Toadette. I did, however, tell the two of you that you were allowed to wander the library and take out any books that were necessary. If you guys had found the book _Romeo and Juliet_, you could have easily showed it to Toadette, flipped to Line 33 in Scene 2 of Act 2, and exposed the needed phrase."

Luigi: _I knew that Line 33, Act 2, Scene 2 was important! It was a clue._

Blooper: _I feel incredibly awkward for not thinking about that. Gary did tell us in the beginning that we could take out any book that we wanted to. Never would I have thought up the idea of finding the Romeo and Juliet book._

Toadette: _During the time I was doing the challenge, Blooper and Luigi just sat there doing nothing. If I were one of them I would have at least tried searching for Romeo and Juliet and speed the game up._

"But it was not needed, because thanks to Toadette's knowledge in literature, you still won," Gary concluded. "Take this." He gave them a video camera.

"Awesome," said Blooper. The three of them exited the bookstore and went to their car.

* * *

**44 MINUTES REMAINING**

"I know how to turn this on," Blooper told them. "I work in the video medium." He opened the side compartment to reveal a screen. Turning the camera on, a recording of McHallyboo was revealed.

"Greetings," he said. His voice echoed in the background. Blooper took notice of white, fibery food he was eating.

"You've just started your final game, so you're nowhere near the end. But the good news is, you'll be heading off to one of my favorite inns in the entire world." He held up a candle.

"What is he eating?" Blooper asked.

"Why would that matter?" Luigi said to him.

"Your next location will be at the Candlelight Inn. As you might have guessed, the place also sells candles. Your challenge is to pick out my favorite scented candle out of the mix. You guess correctly, you add fifteen minutes. Hurry, though. You don't have much time." The recording ended.

Blooper: _I learned from the Romeo and Juliet game that clues to succeeding the challenges would be everywhere. Seeing McHallyboo eating the white food made me as confused as ever. I was certain that it had to be a clue. I just couldn't figure out where it would fit in._

"We have to make sure we're going the right way," said Toadette. "We should be going that way." She looked at the map and pointed left.

"That's going south," said Blooper. "Let me see the map." He studied it carefully, turning it at all angles.

"We're going straight," he concluded. They headed forward in the correct direction.

They drove for twenty minutes. Anxious that time was going against them, they reassured themselves with the fact of knowing that the game was winnable. Blooper concentrated hard on the road. Luigi kicked at the leftover glass on the floor of the car. Toadette was looking out the window.

"I've never really travelled before," Toadette told them. "This game has been amazing to me. We've travelled to so many places."

"Err, I guess we did travel to lots of places," Luigi realized. "First, the exciting helicopter ride to Cliff Springs. Then Noki village. And then Rogueport. But ever since the beginning of the fifth episode, we've been stuck in this Bob-omb region."

"Well, I don't mind," Toadette said. "It's still wonderful."

"That's because you travel everywhere, Luigi," said Blooper, passing by a building which sold candles. "You're been spoiled. And you never have to pay for airfare! That's just ridiculous."

"Wait!" Toadette called out. "I just saw the Candlelight Inn!" Luigi darted his eyes to the back window of the car.

"Huh? Where?" Blooper stopped the car and looked back. Right behind them, in the midst of the buildings on the side of the street, was the inn. The turned into the entrance of a parking lot, got out of their car, and walked over to the lodge. Upon entering, they were greeted.

"Welcome!" said a young girl, her appearance easily showing that she had come from the town of Flipside. "Welcome to all Mole players."

"We'd like to see your candle shop," Blooper said immediately. She curtsied and brought them downstairs to the cellar.

* * *

"We've kept some of these since the day we opened this inn," she told them, bringing them to the end of the long room. The aroma was intense.

"And how long ago was that?" Luigi asked.

"1908." Luigi looked appalled.

"We need to pick out one of these candles," Blooper explained. "The host told us in a video recording that our mission was to find his favorite scented candle."

"Good luck," said the inn keeper. "Bring the candle upstairs once you're done selecting." She walked up the cellar stairs and left them.

"Wow, there's like a million candles down here," Toadette said. "They all have these labels on them. Look! Kiwi Nectar!" She picked up one of the candles on the shelf, and bringing it up to her nose, inhaled deeply. She gagged and put it back.

"Ugh, I was expecting it to actually smell good," she said in a disgusted tone. Luigi and Blooper searched the shelves.

"Turnip, Orange, Avocado," Luigi read, searching through the first row of candles. "Durian. Egg." Daringly, he sniffed the egg candle, and then coughed.

"Mama mia!" he sputtered. "I can't believe they decided to make an egg flavored candle." He looked at the remaining candle scents on the top row: Tomato, Tulip, and Evening Glimmer.

"Look, I found Mushroom," said Blooper. "Toadette should like this."

"Surprisingly, I found Seafood," Toadette said with a strange smile.

"I don't see how this is possible!" Luigi said in an exasperated voice. "I hate smelling candles. There are at least a hundred different flavors here! We need the correct one."

"Then we need a clue," Blooper thought out loud. He turned around and picked up the Kiwi Nectar Candle.

"This is green, right?" said Blooper. "Green is the main color. The color of the Mole, exemptions, the thumbprints, everything. Green is probably McHallyboo's favorite color, and is probably the color of his favorite candle. That's the answer."

Toadette: _Blooper's sudden obsession with all of these clues, maybe it's his cover-up of being the Mole. Or maybe Blooper's just being cute and ambitious. Who knows?_

"Yeah, but one-seventh of these candles are green," Toadette pointed out.

"Why don't we just a take it the easy way, not waste time, and smell for the best?" Luigi suggested. "We don't have much time. Maybe the clue is that every single one of these candles has a horrible odor, except for one of them. Maybe that's how we'll find the correct one."

"You really think so," said Blooper in a voice of doubt.

"Hey, these have more complex names," Toadette said, looking at the candles on the bottom row. "Emerald Lumber, Beach Ink, Sea Island Cotton...oh, Ancient Amber. This smells nice." She lifted it up for the others to smell.

"Wow, incredible," said Luigi. "Daisy would love that scent."

"Better than any other candle here," Blooper admitted. "But I'm not just suddenly going to guess on this one. Let's all start smelling the ones on the bottom." They all got onto the ground and smelled at each candle flavor, sniffing like security dogs, yet not as successfully.

Luigi: _I was looking through the candles, and one of them caught my eye. I was so baffled at why I had such a strong feeling towards it. Then I remembered a name from the previous episode._

"I remember seeing McHallyboo's first name at the Funhouse," Luigi said, his eyes getting wide. Before him was a candle with the label **Mason**.

"His name?" Blooper asked. "How do you know his name?"

"It was Mason Coles Hallyboo," Toadette said, going over to where Luigi was and picking up the candle. "Well, this candle DOES say Mason on it."

"Just because his name is Mason doesn't mean Mason will be his favorite candle scent," said Blooper. "I'm going with the Amber."

"Are you kidding?" said Toadette. "I've never heard of a scent named Mason before. This is probably a fake candle, set up for this game."

"Crazy, but possible," Luigi said, nodding. "As soon as I saw this candle, I was sure it was our answer. I'm a hundred percent sure this candle is correct."

"Fine, I agree," said Blooper. "If you guys agree, then I'll agree too. Let me smell it first." He took the candle and sniffed it.

"Not as bad as Kiwi Nectar," he said. The three of them went upstairs to submit their candle.

* * *

**I'm beginning to feel as if the new season fo the Mole hates me. All my favorite players are being executed. Where's Bobby?! Liz...**

**There's a clue in this chapter! Don't spoil it in your review though. I can't wait to reveal all the hidden clues at the finale of this show. If you've been reading this story up to now, you'll probably be a little shocked at how cryptic and open the clues are. Not to mention the one or two red herrings I've placed throughout.**

**Stay tuned! Enjoy this random talking of the players in their spare time.**

**Blooper:** There's only three people left. It's hard to believe.

**Toadette: **We've known that already since Lakitu left us!

**Luigi: **I feel bad for keeping that exemption away from Lakitu.

**Toadette:** Not just you, Luigi. We all did.

**Blooper:** I would have rather have seen Lakitu be executed than me.

**Luigi: **That's rough!

**Blooper:** I'm just saying the truth.

**Luigi:** To be honest, I think I might have tied with Lakitu on the quiz. It's good that I take the quizzes really fast.

**Blooper:** Didn't somebody tie with Birdo?

**Toadette:** That was probably me. And by the way, I still can't believe you wouldn't save me from a snake bite.

**Blooper:** I honestly answered Luigi because I thought you would be capable of healing yourself.

**Toadette:** That makes no sense!

**Luigi:** Err...how long is this commercial break?

**Blooper:** This isn't a commercial break.

**Luigi:** Then what is this? Why are we wasting time here when we can be finishing up our challenge before we run out of time?!

**Blooper:** You guys are too gullible...


	32. Sawing, Español, and Voices

They picked the wrong candle.

"The correct candle that you needed was here," said the innkeeper, picking up the green-colored candle from the bottom row: Sea Island Cotton.

"If you had looked carefully at the recording that showed McHallyboo telling you the instructions for this game," she continued, "you could have seen that he was eating white cotton candy. You could have picked this up as a clue for cotton."

Blooper: _I keep missing all these clues. Before I realize what to do with them it's already too late._

"I could have sworn that his first name was Mason," Luigi said.

"His first name is Mason, I'm sure also," Blooper confirmed. "But that wasn't the answer."

"Well, you should get going now," the inn keeper told them. "We're running out of time! Oh, and one more thing." The players turned around.

"This place is now called the Candlelight Inn. But when it first opened, the inn was called the Aroma Tavern."

* * *

**22 MINUTES REMAINING, 25 Miles Remaining**

The players drove to their next location, which was thirty-five miles away from the lake they had first embarked from, and also a location past the halfway mark for their journey. They drove passed a sign which read _Yoshi Park Resort_ and parked their car.

"Chainsaw buzzing," Luigi said nervously, hearing the unfamiliar buzz in the air. They walked over to the middle of the open area and saw the scene of their next challenge; a stack of logs, and a Yoshi who skillfully moved his chainsaw through the wood of a tree stump. The players waited for him to finish his carving, and when he was done, the Yoshi took off his goggles and held his wood figure up in the air.

"I am the Mole," he said truthfully. In his hands was a wood carving of a Monty Mole.

"Whoa," said Luigi. "That's amazing!"

"That's so cute!" Toadette said. The Yoshi gave it to her.

"Welcome to your fourth mini-challenge," he said. "I'm glad you've all made it to this beautiful park resort. If you win this game, I'll add ten minutes to your timer."

"We'll really need that," Blooper told him.

"See that stack of logs over there?" he said. "You must carry one of those onto this table. Your job will be to saw clean through the log, directly in half." He pointed at the three saws on the table.

"There are three tools you can use for this task," he added. "Going from easiest to most difficult, it's up to you which one you want to use. The easiest tool is the two-handed saw. Next is the axe. And finally, the difficult one-handed saw. I can either add ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes to your timer if you can beat me in a lumberjack race. If you can saw your log in half before I complete another one of these Mole wood carvings, you win." He unwrapped the stack of logs from their binding.

"Go ahead. The three of you can choose, but in the end, only one of you can saw." The three players went over to their choice of instruments.

"Let's go for the one-handed saw," said Blooper.

"That was my initial thought," Toadette said, picking it up.

"Shouldn't we play safe and just use the two-handed saw? said Luigi. "Ten minutes is enough to help us. I don't want to lose this challenge. He did say that the one-handed saw was the most difficult to cut with."

"I don't want to lose this challenge either," Toadette said fearfully.

"But we could easily get twenty by using the one-handed saw," Blooper said. "It's not impossible to cut a log with a one-handed saw."

"But how much time would we have?" Luigi asked. The Yoshi waved.

"I'm guessing about ten minutes," said Blooper.

"Well, it depends how fast he can carve a mole," Luigi told them. "If he can do it in five minutes, then we're underestimating this game."

"But how about the axe?" considered Toadette.

"In my opinion the axe is harder to cut with," Blooper told them. "Someone could hurt themselves with the continuing swinging motion." He looked at the one-handed saw.

"This is a back and forth motion," he said.

"But it'll take forever," said Toadette. Luigi nodded.

"It's either we add time to our timer, or no time," said Luigi. "We have to take a risk no matter what."

"I'm voting for the one-handed saw," said Blooper. "It's the only choice that makes sense to me."

"All right," said Luigi. "One-handed saw!"

* * *

_The players decided on the one-handed saw, the hardest of the three cutting tools. If they succeed, the choice was worth it. If they don't, then they would end up wasting valuable time for the rest of their challenge. But there was a twist in this mini-challenge that none of them would be aware of until the __end. Because he was the one who had chosen the tool, they unanimously chose Blooper to participate in the challenge._

Blooper put on his protective goggles. The Yoshi started his chainsaw. Toadette and Luigi sat a few feet away on a log.

"Go!" Blooper and the Yoshi got to work. Toadette cheered contentedly, as Luigi covered his ears from the intense sound. Blooper wildly began to saw with the instrument they had chosen, while the wood sculptor calmly and noisily began his work. The race against the chainsaw was on.

"Come on, Blooper!" shouted Toadette with enthusiasm. Blooper kept a going rhythm with his continuous cutting, sliding the saw back and forth on the piece of wood.

"This is difficult!" he shouted back over the roaring chainsaw. The Yoshi continued to cut into his own log with the device in his hands. They continued to battle, as the two other players watched patiently.

Toadette: _After a while I noticed that Blooper had barely cut the wood at all. It only had a little slit at the top._

Luigi: _He was working frantically. It must have been the saw._

Three minutes passed by. The Yoshi began forming the shape of the mammal from the wood block he had cut out. Blooper was already tired, slowing down his pace as he continued to saw the log in half.

"Don't give up!" Luigi shouted.

"Look at this mole," Toadette said, rolling the wood carving in her hands. "Everything is so detailed. Look at how carefully shaped the eyes are." She put her fingers over the unevenness of the wood.

"The more detail needed, the longer it'll take the wood sculptor to do the challenge," Luigi said reassuringly. "We're going to win this! I'm sure!"

Six minutes had passed. The Yoshi was nearly done with his carving, denting out the details of the eyes. Blooper was nearly giving up, having cut only a few inches into the two-foot thickness of the log.

"I have a gut feeling we're not going to win," Luigi said. Suddenly, the chainsaw buzzing stopped. The Yoshi picked up his mole and blew on it. Blooper threw his one-handed saw to the ground with frustration.

"Damn it!" he shouted, his voice drained out. The Yoshi proudly held up his mole.

* * *

_The players had lost. Their seemingly easy task of sawing a single log was proved too difficult for them to complete. Instead of gaining time, they ended up losing a great amount._

"Sorry, but this game was unfair," the Yoshi told them. All three players looked at him in shock and confusion.

"You chose to use the single-bladed saw," he explained. "On a piece of wood this thick using any kind of saw, cutting would not be in a back and forth motion. You would constantly have to make V-shaped incisions, something the Mole would know to do. However, you chose to stay with one incision, which meant that the blade would constantly stick, making your task, well, actually impossible."

Luigi: _I completely sided with Blooper in choosing the one-handed saw. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so ticked off that we lost time instead of winning time! I'm wasting time right now by recording my diary entry!_

Blooper: _I chose the one-handed saw against that two-handed saw, because a two-handed saw would be just ridiculous to use with one person. And not at all did I consider choosing the axe, which in my opinion, wouldn't have helped at all._

Toadette: _I think the axe would have helped us the most, because if we used a saw, the Yoshi told us that we had to make V-shaped cuts. Nobody knew how to make V-cuts, which is why we had failed._

"Here you go," said the Yoshi, giving Blooper the mole he had just carved. He also handed him an envelope, which he tucked away as they walked back to their car. They all sat down in their seats.

"Come on, open it!" said Luigi, as Blooper handed it to him. Inside was a cassette tape along with a note.

"'Learning a new language," Toadette read, "Is like adding lost time to your life."

"I'm already bilingual," Luigi said with pride. "That makes me very special." Blooper looked at him with annoyance and played the tape.

"_NACOOYSA LEW SA SESARFZ EETH, REBEM EMER YA, DAMOLE, SHINAPPES, NEAREORYL."_

"Oh!" said Toadette. "The Mole! Did you hear that?" The turned back the tape and listened for a second time.

"I didn't hear anything," Luigi said.

"I know that sound," Blooper told them. "Reversed speaking."

"How do you know that?" Luigi asked him.

"People do this all the time in music to input subliminal messages," he said. Blooper pressed the arrow button on the car cassette player, and the recording played out differently.

"_Learn Spanish. Lome Add. Remember these phrases as well as you can."_

"What fun."

Blooper: _I found it amusing that they included the phrase "Lome Add", just to make it sound like "The Mole" played in reverse. Smart producers._

"_Hola! ¿Dónde está la caja con el reloj?"_

* * *

**9 MINUTES REMAINING, 19 Miles Remaining**

_The players had the rest of their journey to their next location, a Mexican souvenir store, to memorize twenty Spanish phrases. As soon as they reach their next site, they must ask the store owner which of the twenty boxes located around the store contains a clock in it. If they find the clock, fifteen minutes would be added to their timer. If they guess wrong, fifteen minutes would be subtracted from their timer, ending their game. With only nine minutes left, little time was available for the players to learn their new language. In the end, only one of these phrases would prove crucial to them._

The recording began to repeat itself.

"_¿Dónde está la caja con el reloj? Under the table: Debajo de la mesa. In the third drawer: En el tercer cajón. Inside the cash register: Dentro de la caja registradora. _

"Italian was never this hard," Luigi groaned.

"I've memorized five of these phrases," said Toadette. "Once I memorize five more, I'll have ten. That's already half of them."

"I have an idea," said Blooper. "Why don't half of us memorize the first ten, and half of us memorize the other ten? Toadette, you should memorize the first half since you're ahead. Luigi and I will memorize the latter." They listed to their tape, as time slowly began to run out.

"_The green box: La caja verde. The red box: La caja roja. The yellow box: La caja amarilla. Upon the cabinet: Sobre el gabinete. On the window sill: En el alféizar. With a ribbon: Con una cinta. With stripes: Con rayas."_

"Drive faster, Blooper," Luigi whispered out loud.

"There's no use!" Blooper said, pressing harder on the accelerator pedal.

"As soon as we reach the shop, we'll be fine," Toadette told them. "Our time limit would be boosted. All we have to do is study hard."

"_Among the flowers: Entre las flores. Under the carpet: Debajo la alfombra. On the wall: En el pared. Underneath the sombrero hat: Debajo del sombrero. In the poncho: En el poncho. Behind the curtains: Detrás de las cortinas. In the glass shelf: En el anaquel de cristal. In the hole: En el traidor del champiñón. On the armchair: En el sillón. A surprise: Una sorpresa._

Toadette: _One of the phrases we had to memorize was "una sorpresa", which scared me a little bit because then that would mean we had to guess for the box we needed._

"I got a few of those," said Blooper.

"I didn't get anything!" Luigi complained. The tape repeated itself for the third time.

"I think I'm comfortable with the first ten already," Toadette said. "How are you guys?"

"So-so," Luigi said, his voice struggling with the truth.

Luigi: _In truth, I just picked out a few of the phrases I heard and memorized only those. I didn't think it would help us in the game at all._

"Still shaky," Blooper replied. "And we're almost at the shop." They players got their last minute to review before they reached the store. The name _España: Los Memorias _was displayed on a broken light, and as quick as they could, they entered.

"Hola!" said a goomba wearing a sombrero. "Bienvenidos a esta tienda ."

"Hola," they players spoke back. Only able to speak Spanish with the store owner and each other, Toadette asked the question to begin their game. They had just over two hundred seconds left to find their box.

"¿Dónde está…la caja con…el reloj?" Toadette asked.

"En el anaquel de cristal es la caja verde," the goomba replied. Luigi suddenly lit up and walked over to the back of the store, over to the glass shelf against the wall. Inside were two boxes.

"This isn't my fault if we're wrong," said Blooper. "Go ahead and open it if you want."

"Are you sure?" said Toadette. "This is our only chance."

"I'm sure it's the glass shelf," said Luigi. He reached in and pulled out the green box.

"Verde." Luigi took a deep breath and lifted the cover off, revealing a green clock with a thumbprint as its face. The players laughed.

"Yes!" shouted Toadette with relief. "You saved us Luigi!" Luigi smiled modestly and shrugged.

"It's only fifteen minutes," he pointed out.

"Felicidades," the goomba said. "You've saved your game in the nick of time. But you must still hurry though. You can still lose it all. Your final destination lies ahead." The players nodded and left to their car, less anxious and more focused than ever.

* * *

**15 MINUTES REMAINING, 12 Miles Remaining**

Blooper: _I was ready to give up. No way did we have a chance in winning that game. Toadette was the only one comfortable, but I hardly memorized any of those phrases, and even Luigi was struggling the __most. You had to think of suspicious when he got that answer. Only the Mole knows the answers to everything in this game._

Toadette: _We had a minute left on our timer. Had we wasted a minute more in some other time during our journey, our game would have been over. We wasted a lot of time at the mall, so I'm happy we were able to cut a minute away from that struggle. It was just enough to save us._

Luigi: _Toadette was very happy when I saved us time. She did her share by winning the Romeo and Juliet game, so I guess we're at the same level. Blooper tried to win the Lumberjacking game, but the whole situation just got messed up because of his decision. At least he tried, or at least it looked as if he tried._

"At this rate, we're going to make it," said Blooper. "At least it looks like we're going to make it."

"Slow down a little bit, you're speeding," noticed Toadette. They passed by a speed limit sign with the number sixty on it.

"If we don't make it, can we still celebrate since this is our last game?" Luigi suggested. The other two nodded with agreement.

Blooper: _I think Toadette is the Mole. She's smart. She's shown her intelligence in the games we've played. Luigi is a close second, but there are only two people to choose from, so I'll have to go with one of them._

Toadette: _My theory is that Luigi knows that Blooper is the Mole, and is trying to get information out of him. Blooper is the kind of person who brings his attitude into a lot of the games we've played, and every time he does, the team breaks down. The Mole wants the team to break down and point suspicion at one another._

Luigi: _My coalition with Blooper makes me wonder why he's telling me to suspect Toadette. I'll never be sure, though, whether Blooper is really trying to help me or is actually throwing suspicion away from him. I've never considered Blooper as a deceiver, which is scary if he turns out to be the Mole._

Toadette: _Luigi has sabotaged nearly every challenge we've played since the beginning of our game. I've always looked at those sabotages as inexperience, but now, I'm beginning to think that they may have been intentional after all._

Blooper: _I feel awful for forming a coalition with Luigi, who has a chance of actually turning up as the Mole. It's really going to hurt somebody_. _Maybe I shouldn't have fromed the coalition in the first place. I know that it was wrong to do it. _

Out of these three players, one of them was going to discover the consequences of their decision, one of them would turn up as the Mole, and one would be the winner, for correctly identifying him or her as the ultimate traitor.

* * *



The players had a single mile to go. Six minutes remained on the clock. Their van slowly approached the metal gate that blocked the rest of their path. On it, written on a sign with a logo of the letter B, read the location **Bob-omb Train Station.**

"We're lead here?" asked Luigi. Blooper looked at the map.

"According to the directions that the Mexican Goomba gave us…this is the train station." Blooper looked at the map for a second time. They all stared ahead at the metal gate.

"But it's not open," Toadette said.

"Look!" said Luigi. "A gate intercom system, right there. Someone can hear us."

"Is anyone there?" Blooper shouted, sticking his head out the window. Nobody was listening to them; the intercom was off. He turned off the engine of their car as the three of them sat, confused of their situation.

"We're running out of time just sitting here," said Toadette. "We need to think."

"Let's barge the gate a down!" Luigi said, laughing. He frowned when he realized that nobody was taking his joke seriously.

"Maybe there's something hidden around here," said Blooper. "Maybe there's a way to open this gate." The three of them got out of their vehicles and approached the metal bars of the gateway. Toadette pressed the button on the intercom, and to her surprise, it turned on.

"Guys, I turned it on!" she told them.

"We're here, McHallyboo!" shouted Blooper into the speakers. "Do you hear us! Say something!"

"I think…we're probably not talking to anyone," said Luigi. "I just have a gut feeling."

"You're right," said Blooper. "I don't even hear anything. That probably means that we can speak into this, but they can't speak back. So maybe people are listening to us right now. We don't know." He pressed his head against the speaker, when all of a sudden, his eyes widened.

"I hear someone talking!" he whispered. "I swear someone's talking to us!"

"I don't hear anybody!" said Luigi. Toadette put her head against the speaker, and in a low volume, she heard a voice.

"I hear it too!" she said. "Call me crazy, but it sounds as if the person is trapped at the bottom of a well."

"Poor guy," thought Luigi. "And by the way guys, I still can't hear anything!" He pressed his ears against the speaker in the same way the others were doing.

Only Blooper and Toadette could hear what was being emitted, and whether it was a recording of someone or somebody actually speaking to them at that second, they heard the message clearly:

"_Temptation will ruin everything…"_

* * *

**I'll be opening the Mole poll on the next update, which will ask (if you hadn't of guessed already) "Who is the Mole: Traitor Aboard?"**

**Toadette? Luigi? Or Blooper?**

**Only one of these people has always been the correct answer. And Episode 7 is coming to a finish! All the sushi, books, candles, sawing, and Spanish culture will end in a gain or loss of 50,000 coins. And the final quiz is yet to be taken. Who will be the winner?**

**NOTE! SUNDAY, JULY 13, FROM 11 AM TO 3 PM, ON FOX REALITY, IS A RERUN OF THE FIRST FIVE EPISODES OF THE MOLE SEASON 5 ON ABC! IF YOU'VE MISSED THEM, THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO CATCH UP! Well, YOUTUBE also helps, ha! **

**Also, the ratings of the Mole are getting lower, due to the horrible 10 PM time schedule. But that won't stop people from helping the Mole from getting "executed"! Visit the "save the mole" site. Watch the Mole this Monday at 10 PM on ABC. We all need your help! Thanks to all readers and reviewers!**


	33. The Last Test

**Episode 7 (Part 5)**

Blooper froze.

"Did you hear that?" he said. Toadette and Luigi looked at him.

"Under the seats!" Luigi said with excitement. "You guys aren't crazy! I heard a voice also!"

"The car," Toadette said. The three of them ran back to their vehicle. Blooper, thinking he was the only one who heard a different phrase emmitted from the speaker, remained silent.

"Where is it?" Toadette asked. "The voice said to look under the seats."

"It should be here somewhere," said Luigi. "The voice wouldn't lie."

"We only have about five minutes left," Blooper told them. "If what we need is under the seats, then we'll make it in time."

"Ha! You're finally being optimistic," noticed Luigi with a grin. He lifted the back seat cusion he had been sitting on and found a piece of paper.

"Here," he said. He showed the message to the others.

**You're almost there. Now the gate needs to be opened. The six-letter password is needed. Where have you been?**

"Password," Blooper repeated. "Then we should speak into the intercom, right?" They ran back to the gate, back to the voice mechanism.

"Six letters," Toadette thought. "Does this have to do with the six executed players?"

"Rawk Hawk, Doopliss, Daisy, Birdo, Peach, Lakitu," Luigi said. "Six people. I think it might."

"No, but the note says 'Where have you been?'" Blooper told them. "That has nothing to do with the executed players."

"We've been at all the execution ceremonies so far," Luigi pointed out.

"I think we might have missed something in this challenge," said Toadette. "Maybe we were given the password."

"Exactly," said Blooper. "Six locations. This whole game had lead us to six places. That's the answer."

"Wait," said Luigi. "The Japanese restaurant, the bookstore, the inn, the park resort, and the Mexican place. That's only five!"

"If you include the gate, it makes six locations," noticed Toadette. They all stared at the large metal B on the front of the gate, the logo for the Bob-Omb Train Station.

"I think I got it," said Blooper. "B is our first letter, standing for the Bob-omb Train Station."

"Oh, and then the Mexican store stands for M!" said Toadette.

"B.M.?" Luigi said. "Initials?"

"No, we have to get the name of the store," said Blooper. "It was _España: Los Memorias._"

"B and E," Luigi said. "Let's see, the name of the restaurant was Tokei Restaurant."

"B, E, T," said Toadette. "I remember the name of the bookstor: Robinson Crusoe. B, E, T, R."

"Better?" Luigi guessed.

"We still have to go on," Blooper told him. "The Candlelight Inn gives us B, E, T, R, C."

"But before we left, the lady told us it had another name," Toadette recalled.

"The Aroma Tavern!" Luigi almost shouted out. "I knew that was important!"

"B, E, T, R, A. Now we need the park resort." Toadette and Blooper turned to Luigi.

"What?" he said. "How should I know what it was called?"

"You have the best memory," Toadette said. "Do you remember the name of the park resort?" Luigi shook his head sadly.

"Blooper, you drove the car," Toadette said hopefully. "Did you see the sign?"

Blooper thought carefully, back to the time when he had driven past the park resort sign. He had even said the name out loud to himself in the vehicle.

"Yoshi Park Resort," he whispered. "Betray. That's the password." He put his mouth up to the speaker.

"Betray."

All of a sudden there was a metal clicking sound of numerous gears, turning momentarily and simultaneously. The metal gate shook and dropped a few inches to the ground, seperating both doors from each other, and at the same time, splitting the large B on the front of the gate into two halves. At the sound of the secret word, the gate doors had been unlocked.

"Yes!" Toadette said out loud. Luigi stood motionless, awed. Blooper took a step towards the gate and gave it a gentle push, pushing open the doors of the metal gate even more. The other two came and helped him spread the doors open, until the path was cleared.

"Let's a go!" Luigi shouted. "Come on! Come on!"

"We've wasted a lot of time," said Blooper, as they all hopped into their vehicle as quickly as they could. With a mile left to go, they drove in a heavy rush. Luigi crossed his fingers, blabbering nonsense in an excited manner until they reached the train station. Toadette grabbed onto her seat, not bothering to put on her seatbelt. Blooper paid no attention to the 40 MPH sign that showed up more than twice on the way to the train station, and stepped on the pedal as hard as he could.

Would they make it under the time limit? Or had all this work come to a complete waste?

* * *

The car reached the end of its path. McHallyboo looked down at them from the top of the platform, not surprised in seeing their untimely arrival. As Blooper stopped the car, he and Toadette jumped out.

"Wait, my seatbelt!" Luigi said with panic. Blooper turned around and pulled at the leather strap around Luigi's waist, ripping the belt off.

"Hurry!" Toadette shouted, as the three players ran up the stairs to the train platform. At the same time that all three of them had reached the top of the stairs, they had also reached McHallyboo. Also at the same time, they had completed their challenge.

"I have to tell you that you guys have done a fantastic job," the host told them. "Feel proud and relaxed. You've completed your journey, and your last game of the Mole."

"Did we make it in time?" Luigi asked. "I'm dying to know."

"How do you guys think you did?"

"Fast enough, hopefully," said Toadette. "We did the best we could."

""I think we did waste some time in a few moments during our game," Blooper said.

"Well, let me tell you this," McHallyboo said. "You began with sixty minutes. You were able to achieve forty-five extra minutes in the mini challenges you played, so that gave you one hour and three-fourths of another hour of time in total to reach me." He took out his pocket watch.

"You reached me in one hour, forty-four minutes, and eighteen seconds." The three of them were stunned.

"Wait, that means we won!" Luigi said. "I won!" He jumped in the air, thrilled and victorious. Toadette laughed and hugged him with relief.

"We all won," she corrected.

"I can't believe we only had forty-two second to go," Blooper said, shaking his head with disbelief.

"Great job, team," said Luigi. "We did it."

**Team Pot**

**_240,000 coins_**

"The team pot now stands at 240,000 coins," said McHallyboo. "At the end of tonight, one of you will win it all."

"Wow," said Toadette softly.

"Will the finale be here?" Luigi asked the host.

"No," said McHallyboo. "It'll be a few hours from here."

"Then why is this place important?" Blooper asked him. "Why did we end this game here?"

"The train station is where everything begins and ends," the host told them. "As the train approaches, you'll each enter a seperate passenger car. In each car will be a computer for taking your final quiz. Be prepared; there are twenty questions in total about the Mole. Whoever answers the most correctly will win the game." The players nodded, anxiously.

"Is the train arriving soon? asked Blooper.

"Of course not! It's way too early. You still have to pack your bags. Plus, you have to eat before taking the quiz. None of you will be able to answer any questions if you don't fill your stomach." The players relaxed, happy and assuaged by the fact that their quiz would be delayed. It had been a long day. The sun was already setting, and so was their game.

* * *

Toadette: _The Journey of Completion was one of the best games we've played. This is the largest amount of money we've won, so I guess teamwork is always a good way to end a journey._

Blooper: _How do I feel about 240,000 coins in the team pot? Ecstatic and confused. Ecstatic because I might be able to win it all. Confused because it's called the team pot. As far as I know, only one person is going to win it all._

Luigi: _I can't actually see myself winning. Something might block my way of success, and if it does, well, it just shows that I'm always meant to be second place!_

* * *

But before their final questionnaire, the players had to go through one more challenge. This final and most consequential challenge would put their ethics to the test.

Their last dinner was served to them. Blooper's came first, then Toadette's, then Luigi's. By the time Blooper had finished his sundae, Toadette was only halfway done, and Luigi had just received his.

"Blooper, would you please follow me?" said McHallyboo. "We need to carry your luggage down from the hotel." Blooper got up and followed McHallyboo out of the restaurant, onto the outdoor patio. Near a standing torch was a table, where they both sat down.

"Hello Blooper," said the host. "I'm about to make you a deal." He pulled out a folder.

"What I have is the Mole's dossier. It's the Mole's full profile, including the Mole's background information, episode diary entries, and various acts of sabotage. How much are you willing to take out of the pot to receive this?" Blooper looked at the folder hard, and then at McHallyboo.

"Shoot," he said, sitting back in his chair. "I don't know." He shrugged.

"Thirty thousand, I guess," Blooper decided.

"So you're willing to take thirty thousand coins out of the team pot in exchange for the Mole's dossier, Blooper?" said the host. "Think this over." Blooper looked down at the ground.

"I feel as if I need this," he told McHallyboo. "This is the only chance I have to receive such a thing, and with the final quiz tonight, I'm sure with my choice."

"Why thirty thousand?"

"Assuming that you're probaly going to tempt the others as well, I believe thirty thousand will secure my bet."

"Thank you. You may return to the restaurant. Please send Toadette over." Blooper got up and entered back into the restaraunt.

Blooper: _Thirty thousand coins is a lot of money. It doesn't really matter to me what the others would think once they discover what I did, but then again, maybe they're being offered as well._

* * *

"That was very quick," Luigi noticed.

"Where's McHallyboo?" asked Toadette.

"He wants you," said Blooper. "McHallyboo is on the patio. You have to walk over to him."

"Which one?" asked Luigi.

"Toadette." Toadette got up with confusion and went out the doors of the restaurant.

* * *

Toadette sat down at the patio table, puzzled and curious. McHallyboo sat across from her, directly in front of the torch behind him.

"Hello Toadette," he said. "I'm about to make you a deal." He pulled out the green folder.

"This is the Mole's dossier. It's the Mole's full profile, including the Mole's background information, episode diary entries, and various acts of sabotage. How much are you willing to take out of the pot to receive this?"

"Oh my God," said Toadette, covering her mouth. "Are you serious? That's cheating!"

"Do you want the dossier?" McHallyboo asked.

"But why me?" she asked.

"Because...you're the only girl left." Toadette calculated the remaining money in the team pot in her head.

"If this would help me win the game, I'm willing to give twenty-five thousand coins out of the team pot for the dossier," she decided.

"Are you sure?" said McHallyboo. "This is not just your money, but the team's money you're sacrificing."

"I know, but only one person's going to win it all. If I win the money, I'm hurting myself. If someone else wins, they'll be happy with 215,000 coins. I'm sure."

"Thank you. You may return to the restaurant. Please send Luigi over." Toadette went back to the restaurant.

Toadette: _Twenty-five thousand coins doesn't seem like that much any more. After winning so much cash in the past weeks, you start to look at the value of money differently. It's like "Oh, it's only twenty-five thousand coins out of two-hundred thousand."_

* * *

"So why did you go outside?" Luigi asked Blooper. Blooper shrugged.

"Something you probably wouldn't care about," he said quickly. "I needed to transfer my luggage, and he was wondering why my bags were so large." Toadette entered the restaurant.

"Luigi, McHallyboo wants you," she said.

"But I'm not done with my dessert!" he argued.

"It's important," added Blooper. Luigi got up and went over to the patio. Toadette sat down and sighed.

"How much did you bid?" she asked Blooper.

"I didn't bet anything!" he retorted.

"Come on, I'm not stupid," Toadette said. "I think he's making deals with all of us for the dossier."

"No, he's not. He didn't tell me anything."

"Then why did he bring you out?" Blooper refused to reply.

"Well, I told him I'd give twenty-five thousand coins for the dossier," said Toadette. "That's half of what we earned today. I hope I got it."

Blooper: _Knowing that Toadette was out of the bidding, I was hoping that Luigi would simply turn down the offer. He seems pretty sure already of who the Mole is, so if he turns down the deal, the dossier is mine. Though with me being such a pessimistic person, I doubt it._

* * *

"Hello Luigi. I'm about to make you a deal." Luigi raised his eyebrow as McHallyboo pulled out the green folder. The torch behind him blazed violently.

"This is the Mole's dossier. It's the Mole's full profile, including the Mole's background information, episode diary entries, and various acts of sabotage. How much are you willing to take out of the pot to receive this?"

"No," said Luigi. "This is a joke!"

"It's not," said McHallyboo. "How much do you want to give for this?" Luigi contemplated the situation.

"Well, umm," he stuttered. "The dossier is important. Very important. How many pages is it?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Then...I will put up 50,000 coins!"

"Luigi, think again," said McHallyboo. "Fifty thousand is a large amount of money that will not only hurt you, but the team." Luigi looked instantly regretful.

"I changed my mind," he said. "I will not give any money. Friendship is better than greed."

"Are you sure?" repeated McHallyboo.

"No! I'm sticking with 50,000," Luigi decided. "Final answer, and I'm not going to change it."

"Thank you. You may return back to the restaurant. Tell the other two to come here. I want you, Luigi, to finish your dessert." Luigi nodded and went back to get the other two.

* * *

Blooper and Toadette took their seat at the patio table, across from McHallyboo and the torch. In the center of the table was the dossier.

"Welcome back," said McHallyboo. "Congratulations for passing the test of temptation. Because Luigi had offered to sacrifice 50,000 coins for the Mole's dossier, higher than any of you had bid, he will have no control in this part of the game." He turned around and grabbed the torch from the stand behind him, making Blooper and Toadette lean back with surprise.

"It's up to you," said McHallyboo, holding up the fiery stick. "Read the dossier, or burn it. Once the folder is opened, you will lose the 50,000 coins that have been put at risk by your fellow teammate. You have one minute to decide." He placed the torch into a handle sticking out from the side of the table.

"So if any of us reads it, we lose 50,000, right?" Blooper questioned. McHallyboo nodded. Blooper turned to Toadette.

"What do you want to do?" he asked her.

"We already have the money in the pot," Toadette said. "We shouldn't lose it." Blooper looked at the blazing fire.

"But it's the Mole's dossier!" Blooper exclaimed. "Everything about the Mole! Wouldn't you want it?"

"I would," Toadette admitted. "I'd like to have it." She then shook her head.

"But it's not right," she said. "It's not fair if one of us reads it and the other person doesn't get to." Blooper stared at the green folder.

"When we were at the gate, I heard something emitted from the intercom," Blooper told her. "The voice said 'Temptation will ruin everything'. I think this is what it's talking about." Toadette smiled.

"You're right," she said. "I heard it too." The two of them sat in silence, hearing only the sound of the flame and feeling nothing but the increasing heat of the fire. McHallyboo looked at his pocketwatch.

"Let's burn it," said Toadette. "Agree?" Blooper nodded slowly, but then stopped. Suddenly, he reached fowards and grabbed the folder from the middle of the table. Toadette gasped.

"No Blooper, don't!" she said frantically. "Don't open it! It's not fair!" Blooper looked down at the floor of the patio.

"I know what's fair," Blooper said quietly. He grabbed the torch from the table, and with only little hesitation, held the green folder up to the flame. As the folder was on fire, Blooper dropped it to the ground. The two of them watched as the fifteen pieces of paper went up in flames, burning silently and slowly to nothing but unreadable ashes. The Mole's dossier was destroyed.

* * *

**Sorry, I had to cut off from the end of this episode and make this a short chapter. And by the way, I'm going by the US versions of the Mole. That means there's going to be a reunion of everyone after this, which takes place a few months after everything is finished.**

**Check my profile for the first page of the Mole's mini-diary! It's soaked in bloo...erm, cranberry juice, so it's kind of hard to read. This is officially the first page of the Mole's diary entry in the folder of the Mole's dossier. The rest is too revealing, so I won't be putting those up. Ha!**

**Review if you want (but if you've found some major spoiler clues, don't mention them or the Mole will have to burn you). The poll for the Mole will come at the next update, and this is a promise.**


	34. End of the Line

**End of Episode 7**

"Who got the dossier?" Luigi asked eagerly, seeing them all enter the restaurant.

"We burned it," Toadette told him.

"That's good--wait what?" Luigi said.

"Me, and Toadette, and the both of us, not you, because you decided to sacrifice 50,000 coins, decided to burn the dossier for the sake of the game."

"Fifty thousand coins remains in the team pot," concluded McHallyboo. "The Mole's dossier has been destroyed, and so has your chance at discovering who the Mole is. This was officially your last challenge. So congratulations." He looked at Luigi.

"Luigi, would you have looked at the dossier if you were outside with us?"

"Seeing what the other two did, no," said Luigi. "I would have never."

"Toadette, why did you want to burn the dossier instead of looking at it?"

"Nobody should look at the dossier," said Toadette. "Even if there was no money at risk, nobody should play unfair."

"Blooper," said McHallyboo. "Why did you burn the dossier? Didn't you want to know what it contained?"

"To be honest," Blooper said in a strange tone, "I'm pretty sure I know who the Mole is."

"But you looked hesitant in what you did."

"When you see the dossier in front of you, you see either a lot of money, or fire. You just can't think."

"We're happy with what we did," Toadette concluded.

"Luigi, would you like to apologize to your fellow teammates for nearly sacrificing one-fifth of the team pot?" Luigi laughed, and then hung his head.

"I'm sorry," he said in a humble manner.

"Good job," said Blooper. "But I guess we'll forgive you."

"Well, shall we get going?" said McHallyboo. "The train is arriving at the station in approximately one hour. I got your bags and personal belongings from the hotel while you were eating, so everything you've brought on this trip will all be on the train. Let's go now."

The players got up and left the restaurant. In separate vehicles, they were brought back to the train station.

* * *

All three vehicles arrived at the same time. At the top of the stairs on the platform of the station was McHallyboo, waiting patiently for the three of them.

_First, there were nine. Players who met at the top of Cliff Springs and worked as a team, not knowing who to trust. One by one, they fell victim. Now, there are three: Luigi, Toadette, and Blooper. The journey nears its end. Here in this old train station, all three players will be boarding the 9:00 train. The final battle will determine who will win. It will also determine which player would meet their unfortunate end. But most of all, it will finally tell us the answer to the long-waited question:_

_Who...is...the Mole?_

"Welcome players," said the host in his grandest voice. "Here we are." They all nodded.

"When the train arrives, you will each be locked into your own separate passenger car. Luigi, you will enter the first one. Toadette, the middle car. Blooper, the last car of the train. You will have approximately two hours to finish your quiz of twenty questions about the Mole, and how much you know about them. I will warn you that this quiz is extremely difficult, more difficult than any other quiz you have taken before in this game. Any questions?" The three of them shook their heads lightly.

After a few minutes, the sound of the train was heard in the distance. As it came closer, the players grew even more anxious, standing in their assigned positions at the edge of the platform for the arriving train. The exterior of the train remained torn and aged, and the front of the train remained untouched. But the interior of each car was reconstructed for this special occasion. The train made its stop in front of the players with a loud and repulsive screech.

Luigi looked at his doors with apprehension, his legs shaking. Toadette breathed heavily and faced forwards. Blooper stood still, his tentacles folded. All train doors opened at the same time automatically.

"The train is here," said McHallyboo. "You may now enter your compartments." At the same time, they all entered their cars. Luigi sat down in front of his laptop, his fingers moving with anticipation. He pressed the power button on his laptop.

Luigi: _I feel sorry for all the people who never made it to this point. I feel extremely sorry for Daisy, and for Lakitu, and for every executed player in this game. Sometimes I think that it's just not fair. But I guess it really doesn't matter who makes it to the final three. As long as you share the winner's happiness is all that counts, right Mario?_

Toadette sat down in front of her laptop, sighing and feeling tired. She turned on the laptop.

Toadette: _I want this to be over, so I'm extremely happy that this is the end. I came her to discover what I can do, and I have already. If the game ends with me not being the winner, I can accept that. I'm already a winner in my opinion. But above all, I'm think I'm finally ready to go back home._

Blooper sat in front of his laptop and looked at the screen. Stressed, but calm, he was ready to take the quiz.

Blooper: _I find it strange, finding myself a little sad. It's been a lot of adventure, a lot of fun, a lot of stress, excitement, but most of all I'm just going to miss this game. Would I do it again? Of course. Would I do it differently? Probably so._

The train doors slid closed.

"Now there is truly a traitor aboard," McHallyboo called out loud. "And at the end of this trip, one of you will be the winner of 240,000 coins. Good luck to all of you." He hopped onto the front of the train and grabbed on. The smoke arising from the front of the train increased even more as the train proceeded to its next destination. The horn blared, and the train carrying the three surviving players left from the station.

* * *

Blooper started his quiz.

_**1. Meeting at Cliff Springs, which helicopter did the Mole arrive in? **_

_**-First**_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third**_

_**-Fourth **_

_**-Fifth**_

_**-Sixth**_

_**-Seventh**_

Blooper: _One of us is the Mole,...I'm pretty sure it's Toadette. She is smart. And she's the youngest player here, which makes people think twice before suspecting her._

Luigi: _I had suspicions of Toadette early on, but I disregarded them quite quickly. Maybe it's because of how well we've all become good friends._

_**2. Which of these two objects were in the Mole's bag during the Baggage challenge?**_

_**- Jewelry and tennis racket**_

_**-Books and a journal**_

_**-Overalls and a cap**_

_**-Deodorant and black T-shirt**_

_**-Hats and shoes**_

_**-Blanket and magazines**_

Blooper: _I think Toadette did her first flaw selecting our bags in the Baggage challenge. She completely messed up by switching my bag with Rawk Hawk's. Everyone knows that I absolutely don't wear pants. Not to mention that deodorant is almost a useless object for me to bring on a trip. So she could be the Mole._

Luigi: _She makes silly but determined mistakes that have cost us money. All her sabotage is direct, like when she walked into the Clue house and quit McHallyboo's Funhouse. I think she is a small, yet visible Mole._

_**3. In the Jail Escape challenge, how many people were brought into the police station before the Mole?**_

_**-None**_

_**-Two**_

_**-Three**_

_**-Four**_

_**-Five**_

Toadette: _It's unlikely that Luigi is the Mole, but he's done a lot of sabotage in this game. He's very open and he's never shy to express what's on his mind. But sometimes I think he acts genuine just to make you forget that he could be the Mole._

Blooper: _Luigi is a great candidate for the Mole. His anxiety for the executions, his nervousness during games. What a great, great cover for being the saboteur. If I were the Mole, I would follow directly in his footsteps._

_**4. Which way did the Mole rotate the table in the Accustomed/Acquired challenge?**_

_**-Left**_

_**-Right**_

Toadette: _In the Journey of Completion challenge, he claimed at the Japanese restaurant that he loved sushi. But when we finally had to eat it, he had the hardest time out of all of us swallowing the food. I thought that was a little suspicious._

Blooper: _Luigi wouldn't have to worry about people suspecting him when he sabotaged in the Cliff Springs, because in the beginning, everyone is saying to themselves, "Oh, the Mole would never sabotage in the first game. Luigi is just pretending to be the Mole." In my opinion, that would be the smartest move ever._

_**5. When did the Mole reach the hostage in the Hostage Rescue challenge?**_

_**-Less than an hour**_

_**-More than an hour**_

_**-The Mole did not reach the hostage under two hours**_

_**-The Mole was the hostage**_

Toadette: _I'll be a little surprised if Luigi turns out to be the Mole, because I think he's too kind and genuine of a player._

Blooper: _Luigi can turn out to be the Mole in my book. I'll be shocked if he is though. He's almost the perfect Mole._

_**6. When did the Mole jump into the moat in the Bell of Endurance challenge?**_

_**-First**_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third/Fourth**_

_**-Fifth**_

Toadette: _This far into the game, I believe Blooper is the Mole. He pretends to be competitive and arrogant, and he always begins the arguments in our challenges. The Mole wants the team to break down and point fingers at each other._

Luigi: _Blooper can definitely be the Mole because he's done a lot of subtle sabotage. He lost the key in the Bell of Endurance challenge, and what surprised me most was that he didn't take the blame. For some odd reason, he began blaming the others, which didn't make any sense whatsoever. I think he wants people to be so focused on him so much as an opponent that they completely disregard him as being the Mole._

_**7. In the Exhibit and Koopa Spelling Challenges, which phrase applies to the Mole the best?**_

_**-Helped win**_

_**-Came up with the idea**_

_**-Constructed**_

_**-Was not active**_

Luigi: _During the Koopa Spelling game, when he gave Lakitu his jacket, it made Lakitu clap, which shut off the Mecha-Koopas. We all thought it was just some amazing occurrence. But I believe there was something unusual in the jacket that he had given to Lakitu._

Toadette: _When Blooper had to pick out our work of art from the museum, he eliminated the television. I thought that was strange, because after evaluating four previous works of art and considering each of those to be the one we had created, he finally went up to our piece of work and completely ignored it. It just so happened that the one he had eliminated was the correct one._

_**8. In the Craps Challenge, did Birdo predict the Mole would succeed in their dare?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Toadette: _The more I think of the possibility of Blooper being the Mole, the more I think it might be true._

Luigi: _As much as I like Blooper, he's done too many subtle things throughout this game that many of us simply ignore. If he's the Mole, he's done an incredible job._

_**9.**__**Which book did the Mole have to find in the Board the Train challenge?**_

_**-Winnie the Pooh**_

_**-To Kill A Mockingbird**_

_**-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea**_

Blooper: _I couldn't find out the reason for Luigi to abandon Birdo during the Train game. Poor Birdo had to discover the riddle by herself, and it was a miracle that we had won the challenge. Luigi left Birdo because, according to him, he wanted to make sure the train wouldn't leave. It didn't make any sense._

_**10. In the Three Questions challenge, in which door number was the Mole located?**_

_**-Door 13**_

_**-Door 27**_

_**-Door 28**_

Luigi: _During the Three Questions game, Blooper said he would give anti-venom to me instead of Toadette. The thing that bothered us was that Toadette would easily succumb to the snake bite first. And he would rather save a male rather than a female? Either Blooper has no moral ethics, or he answered that question wrong on purpose for us to mess up on. _

The train blared its horn. All three players had mistaken it as a sign of approaching the station. But as they all looked out the window, they saw instead the calm waters of an ocean. Very briefly, a mother and her daughter were seen waving at the passing train, smiling happily. Only the Mole took the time to enjoy the scenery, realizing that their lives would return back to normal after the game was over.

_**11. What did the Mole do in the Sell and Laugh challenge?**_

_**-Picked out items**_

_**-Sold items**_

_**-Made people laugh**_

Toadette: _When Luigi was videotaping for the laughing part of the Sell and Laugh game, he broke the rules by making his video camera visible. When we were shown the footage of his recording, it looked as if Luigi made no attempt to hide the camera from the little Koopa-troopa. It could have been accidental, but it was the perfect position for sabotage._

Blooper: _Toadette picked ridiculous tools for us to sell during the Sell and Laugh challenge, and so we ended up either not selling them or selling them for incredibly cheap. I think she might have manipulated Peach a little bit while they were both choosing things from the market._

_**12. Did the Mole participate in a solo game during the Journey of Completion? **_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Toadette: _When we had to choose a tool for the Lumberjack game, Blooper was the first one to suggest the one-handed saw. The way Blooper insisted to use the one-handed saw made me believe that he knew beforehand that the game would be impossible. _

_**13. Where did the Mole sleep in McHallyboo's Funhouse?**_

_**-The Kitchen**_

_**-The Basement**_

_**-The Conservatory**_

Blooper: _Toadette chose to quit her room in McHallyboo's Funhouse, sacrificing 40,000 coins. That was obviously sabotage, and very directly done._

Luigi: _Did Blooper know that Toadette quit her room? If he did, then it would make sense for him to try and look innocent by staying in the basement for the night, because at that point, the money was already lost._

_**14. On the ferry in Episode Three, did the Mole play at the arcade?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Toadette: _On the ferry, Daisy told me all about how she trusted Luigi and that he was too sweet to be the Mole. That night, she was executed. Could she have not voted for Luigi, and gotten eliminated because of it?_

Luigi: _Perhaps Peach decided that Toadette was the Mole. She did tell me once that she thought that Toadette could be the Mole. Maybe that's how she was able to survive so long into the game._

_**15. In the Laundry Race challenge, which places were the Mole at?**_

_**-Around town and at the arcade**_

_**-In the bank and at the Laundromat**_

_**-The Mole was at the Laundromat for the entire game**_

Toadette: _When I was trying to stop the others from finishing the laundry, Blooper was the only one who tried to prevent me from doing anything. I think that was one of his failed yet heaviest act of sabotage._

Blooper: _The faster we went, the closer we got to losing the challenge. There was Luigi, answering the questions at the Laundromat quicker than any of us and making us finish the laundry as fast as we could. It was something incredibly suspicious that none of us took notice of until after the game was over._

_**16. How much did the Mole bid in Exemption Temptation?**_

_**-10,000 coins**_

_**-15,000 coins**_

_**-20,000 coins**_

_**-25,000 coins**_

_**-30, 00 coins**_

_**-50,000 coins**_

Toadette: _When we had to decide whether to keep or burn the dossier, Blooper tried to persuade me to read it at first. When he saw that I wasn't falling for it, he suddenly changed to my side and agreed to burn it._

Blooper: _I think Luigi should take the most blame for our last test. He risked 50,000 coins, which is more than any other previous challenge. If you were the Mole, you would want to outbid everyone else at least. Plus, he was the last to bid, so he was probably aware of our offers._

Luigi: _Both Blooper and Toadette could have read the dossier, so that points at the two of them. The Mole doesn't need the dossier._

_**17. Which kind of sibling does the Mole have?**_

_**-A brother**_

_**-A sister**_

_**-The Mole is an only child**_

Luigi: _I want Toadette to win if I can't. Not only do I not need the money, but it's been wonderful playing this game. She's going to become a great doctor, and helping her sister through college will make her a great sister._

_**18. Has the Mole received an exemption to date?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Toadette: _If I don't win, it'll teach me that experience never comes with an award. If that happens, I want Luigi to finally prove to Mario that he's a winner. I can never imagine Luigi being the Mole, so I'm sure he'll be the winner if I don't win._

_**19. How many times has the Mole's name been called during the executions?**_

_**- Twice**_

_**- Four times**_

_**-Five times**_

Blooper: _Deep down, I want us all to win. But we just can't. I guess this game will end by determining which person is which. There has to be one winner, and one loser. There isn't any other way for this game to end._

_**20. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Luigi**_

_**-Toadette**_

_**-Blooper**_

* * *

It was eleven o'clock at night. The moon glimmered brighter than it had at their departure when the train arrived at the station, the sound of its chugging slowing down and its wheels screeching its way slowly to a complete stop. The train let out its last sound.

_CHOO CHOO!_

As the smoke disappeared, McHallyboo jumped off the front of the train, grabbing the conductor's remote as he dropped onto the platform. His fingers went carefully over the three buttons that jutted out from the mechanical object he was holding.

"You've all finished your quizzes," he said out loud. "Your scores have all been tabulated, and we have a winner. The winner is the player who answered the most questions correctly on this quiz. When I tell you to, stand in front of your car doors." He held out the remote.

"Once you are all in front of your doors, I will turn on only the sensor of the winner's doors. If your doors open up, you are the winner, and you have just won two hundred and forty thousand coins." He looked at the very first train car.

"Luigi Mario. Are you ready?"

"I'm...I'm ready, McHallyboo."

"Please stand in front of your door." Luigi got up and stood directly in front of his doors. He was excited yet nervous at the same time, waiting for his doors to open.

"Toadette Rytoad. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am ready."

"Please stand in front of your door." Toadette got up and walked over to her doors. She shivered and looked forwards, tired but determined to see her doors open.

"Blooper Inke. Are you ready?"

"I am ready for the results." Blooper got up from his chair and took his stand in front of his doors. He folded his arms and took a deep breath, standing in front of his doors. He too, was waiting for the opening of his doors.

But only the sensors of one of the three cars would be able to function.

"May the winner's door," McHallyboo shouted, "Please open!"

He pressed the middle button of the remote, and one of the cars of the train immediately opened up. Exposed to the night air and aware of their victory, the winner was overjoyed.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_On the final episode of the Mole..._

All the previous executed players will be united to watch the unmasking of the Mole.

Birdo: Blooper is my choice for the Mole.

Rawk Hawk: Toadette's the Mole!

Lakitu: I just have to go with Luigi as my pick!

All will be revealed of how the Mole sabotaged the games, as well as the strategies of the winner and runner-up. We'll also uncover the hidden clues that may have helped you and the players discover the identity of the Mole.

Daisy: I knew that was a clue!

One of these three players will be the winner of 240,000 coins. And one will finally be unmasked...as the Mole.

Peach: Oh my!

Doopliss: You've got to be kidding me...

* * *

**The poll is finally open! Take a look at the top of my profile and answer the question: Who is the Mole?**

**Last chance to leave a review before the Mole is revealed! It's all come down to these final three. How well have you been watching the Mole?**

**Everything will be declared on the next update of The Mole: Traitor Aboard.**


	35. Just a Request

**Poll Request**

Hey guys! It's almost time for the revealing of the Mole: Traitor Aboard. Well, maybe not almost. But I just want to say that thanks for all the readers and the great reviews you guys had submitted on this story. It's been too great, so I thank you all.

I just want to say that I want the poll to be filled up as much as it could. So if you've read or have read this story up to this point, please feel free to vote on my poll (at the top of my profile). Even if you can't leave a review, just a vote would be awesome.

Once I have at least fifteen votes, the finale will be revealed.

Thanks again! And remember, the Mole is always watching you.

**_The Mole: Saboteur's Island_**


	36. The Traitor Unmasked

_**

* * *

**_

Episode 8 (Finale)

It's finally time to discover:

**Who...**

**Is...**

**The Mole?**

Is it **Luigi, **the twenty-three year old plumber?

**Toadette,** the nineteen year old emergency nurse?

Or **Blooper,** the twenty-five year old ocean explorer and videographer?

* * *

"Welcome everybody to the last and final episode of The Mole: Traitor Aboard. It's been three month since Luigi, Blooper, and Toadette had taken that final quiz aboard that old train in Bob-omb village, and now, the results of that quiz will be revealed. Over here we have our six executed players. Welcome back guys."

"Hi," they all said out in unison. Each player was seated comfortably in the lobby of the Noki Hotel, the very hotel the players stumbled across in their second episode. With the hotel closed for the holiday, the reunion was guaranteed to go as planned; calm, exciting, and mind-blowing.

"This is actually the first time you've all met as a group since the first day," McHallyboo noticed.

"It's a pleasure," said Birdo.

"Yeah, it's actually feels like I'm back inside the game with everyone else here," Doopliss told him.

"Not for me," said Peach. "I'm so glad it's over. It was so hectic." Some of the others players nodded in agreement.

"But it's actually fun to look back at how you failed," said Daisy.

"Yeah, and how much you screwed up in the first quiz," Rawk Hawk added. Everyone laughed, feeling sympathy for the first executed player.

"Well, since you guys have all seen the episodes, I'd like to ask you all two questions," said McHallyboo. "Who do you think the winner is, and who do you think the Mole is? We'll start with Rawk Hawk."

"I think the Mole is Toadette," Rawk Hawk said. "She's so little. And the winner is Luigi."

"Doopliss?"

"I think the Mole is Luigi," Doopliss said after consideration. "He's the last person you can suspect as the Mole. As for the winner, I think Toadette will win."

"Daisy?"

"Well, I hope the winner is Luigi," she said. "Sorry, I just can't imagine him as the Mole. He's too sweet and genuine. The Mole is Blooper."

"Birdo, who do you think the winner is and who do you think the Mole is?"

"I have to also go with Blooper," Birdo decided. "Blooper is my choice for the Mole. He's done a lot of subtle and obvious sabotage, and I never really suspected him. The winner will be Toadette, I believe."

"Peach?"

"I believe that my girlfriend Toadette is in fact the Mole," Peach chuckled. "And Blooper being the smart individual he is, may be the winner."

"And Lakitu?"

"Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure," he admitted. "But right now, I'll have to go with Luigi as the Mole. I initially thought Toadette was the Mole, but I guess she'll win the game. Blooper is a close second for my Mole too. But I just have to go with Luigi as my pick."

"So what's your final answer?" asked McHallyboo with amusement.

"Toadette is the winner and Blooper, I mean, Luigi is the Mole."

_Here are the results to the poll that asked the question __Traitor Aboard: Who is the Mole__?_

_Luigi: 12 votes_

_Toadette: 3 votes_

_Blooper: 7 votes_

"Soon, we will all see the truth. But first, let's refresh our memory a little bit, shall we?" suggested McHallyboo The television flicked on, and the players watched.

* * *

_Three players left in the game, all who have had their share of suspicious moments. Any one of them could be the Mole. Let's take a closer look._

**Toadette**

_Baggage Challenge_

Toadette was assigned to match names with the correct bags by memorizing the belongings of the other players. But, instead of correctly identifying the bags of Blooper and Rawk Hawk, she switched their names at the last second. This cost the team ten thousand coins.

_Clue House Challenge_

Players had the opportunity to find a clue located in a town, yet for each player who entered the building, ten thousand coins would be taken from the pot. Instructed by Lakitu, Toadette went into the 

store to ask for directions. Even though the bar was closed, Toadette still decided to walk into the store. The store ended up being the Clue House, losing ten thousand coins for the team.

Lakitu: I feel bad for telling Toadette to go inside, but she knew that the store was closed, so it was technically her fault for entering the building.

_McHallyboo's Funhouse_

McHallyboo: You must stay in this room until the ceiling stops leaking. You will have Priscilla the crocodile as your roommate, and you may leave whenever you want. However, you will lose the money if you decide to do so.

And in McHallyboo's Funhouse, Toadette was the only one who chickened out of her assigned room, sacrificing the money earned in the challenge. She only had five minutes left to remain until the water in her room drained out.

Toadette: I'm not staying in there.

Luigi: I don't see how she couldn't have stayed in her room for just five more minutes. .

**Luigi**

_Cliff Springs Challenge_

The players were told that before jumping into the water, they were not to add or remove any items from their body. Instead, they had fifteen seconds to do so before the game started. Oddly enough, Luigi decided to keep his cap on. In addition, right before Rawk Hawk had to jump, Luigi thought of the idea of giving his cap to him, breaking the rules and losing their first challenge.

Rawk Hawk: Luigi offering his cap to me was something incredibly nice of him to do, but to realize afterwards that it violated the rules made me think differently of it.

_Board the Train Challenge_

Players were paired up and were assigned to find tickets in books, by deciphering clues. With Birdo and Luigi having the most difficult clues of all the teams, they had one more ticket to find with the train near approaching. But instead of helping Birdo, Luigi decided to run off to the train station, in hopes of preventing the train from leaving, something that later on proved useless.

Toadette: For him to come to the train station made no sense at all. It was pointless, when he could have been back at the bookstore helping Birdo with the final clue.

_Laundry Race Challenge_

Luigi, Blooper, and Peach were told that if they finished their laundry in the Laundry Race challenge, they would win the challenge. In truth, if they were to finish their laundry before Toadette could warn them to stop, the challenge would be lost. The more questions they got right, the quicker they would finish.

McHallyboo: Adding up all the nine digits that are contained in all three of your room numbers, what will you receive as the sum?

Luigi: Uh, I think it's fifty-two.

McHallyboo: Correct.

Peach: For Luigi to come up with an answer to a question that would take at least half a minute to answer, it did make me a little questionable of how he came up with it. For all we know, he might have been told the answers to these questions before the game had started.

**Blooper**

_Bell of Endurance Challenge_

McHallyboo: These three keys must be present at the end of the obstacle course in order to win the game. If however, you lose one of them in the process, you will also lose your game.

The five remaining players had to cross a dangerous obstacle course, carrying three keys that were required to be used at the end of the course. When Blooper was hit by a tranquilizer, Peach went over to retrieve the key from him. But when she searched him, the key wasn't present. With one of the keys missing, the team was forced to quit.

Peach: I searched and I searched, and then I realized that there was no key in any of Blooper's pockets. The only way to guarantee a loss for this game was if someone were to lose a key.

_Three Questions Game_

Luigi and Toadette had to find Blooper by answering three questions correctly. The answers depended on how Blooper answered three moral questions. However, when they arrived at the door, Blooper was not there. When asked the question if he would rather save Luigi or Toadette from a snake bite, Blooper chose Luigi.

Luigi: We only needed one question wrong to lose the money, and that's exactly what happened. I can never imagine someone saving a man over a woman. Maybe he didn't answer those questions honestly, but instead, intentionally tried to make us mess up.

_Journey of Completion_

The players faced the Lumberjack game in their final challenge. Once there, the three players had to choose one of the three tools provided to cut through a piece of log before a Yoshi could carve a Monty Mole out of his stump. When given the choice, Blooper was the first one to convince the others to use the one-handed saw. Because of this decision, they lost the game.

Yoshi: You chose to stay with one incision, which meant that the blade would constantly stick. Your game was impractical, and you were already destined to lose as soon as you picked the one-handed saw.

Toadette: The way Blooper insisted to use the one-handed saw made me believe that he knew beforehand the game would be impossible.

Who has been sabotaging deliberately? Only one of these people is the Mole.

* * *

"Interesting," said Daisy.

"Umm, can we change our minds now?" Rawk Hawk asked.

"I'm confident with my answer," Doopliss decided. "It's Luigi."

"I think it's Toadette," said Peach.

"I'm even more convinced that the Mole is Blooper," said Birdo

"Well, right now, it's time for us to discover who the winner is," said McHallyboo. "We'll now go back to three months ago, to where the game finally ended. Let's take a look." The television turned back on.

* * *

It was eleven o'clock at night. The moon glimmered brighter than it had at their departure when the train arrived at the station, the sound of its chugging slowing down and its wheels screeching its way slowly to a complete stop. The train let out its last sound.

_CHOO CHOO!_

As the smoke disappeared, McHallyboo jumped off the front of the train, grabbing the conductor's remote as he dropped onto the platform. His fingers went carefully over the three buttons that jutted out from the mechanical object he was holding.

"You've all finished your quizzes," he said out loud. "Your scores have all been tabulated, and we have a winner. The winner is the player who answered the most questions correctly on this quiz. When I tell you to, stand in front of your car doors." He held out the remote.

"Once you are all in front of your doors, I will turn on only the sensor of the winner's doors. If your doors open up, you are the winner, and you have just won two hundred and forty thousand coins." He faced the very first train car.

"Luigi Mario. Are you ready?"

"I'm...I'm ready, McHallyboo." McHallyboo faced the middle train car.

"Toadette Rytoad. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready." McHallyboo turned to the very last train car.

"Blooper Inke. Are you ready?"

"I am ready for the results."

McHallyboo nodded, looked at all three train cars one more time, then held out the remote in front of him.

"May the winner's door," McHallyboo shouted, "Please open!"

At that second, he pressed down on the middle of the three buttons on the remote, turning on the sensors for that specific car. Sensing the player's existence, it triggered the doors to immediately open up. The player stood still for a moment, too surprised to take in the opening of his train doors. Then, the player stepped out.

Exposed to the night air and aware of their victory, the winner was overjoyed.

"Congratulations," McHallyboo said, an involuntary smile appearing on his face.

Luigi was flabbergasted.

"I...I won?" Luigi asked with incredulity. "I'm the winner? But how?"

"You are indeed the winner of The Mole: Traitor Aboard," McHallyboo announced to him. "And you have just won 240,000 coins. How does it feel?"

"Mama mia!" Luigi exclaimed. He jumped into the air, howling momentarily with excitement and energy, finally taking in what had happened. He was obviously floored, but he was the winner.

* * *

Back in the lobby, the executed players cheered for Luigi's victory. They were almost as shocked as Luigi appeared to be in the recording they were watching, and most of them were simply shocked that Luigi was the winner of the game. But as they saw McHallyboo declare Luigi as the sole winner, they were all delighted.

"I'm baffled," said Lakitu, scratching his head. "Too baffled."

"Out of all of us, Luigi won?" Doopliss said with disbelief. "Who would have known?"

"I'm so pleased," said Birdo happily. "I knew he had the potential."

"I knew it!" Daisy said in a tone that showed her jubilation. "I just knew Luigi would win!" She was full of joy.

"And I'm so happy for him too," said Peach, as the two princesses hugged each other. "Luigi really is smart."

"So that it means he isn't the Mole," Doopliss said with realization. "Shucks."

"Wait, who's the Mole?" Rawk Hawk asked out loud. "We still don't know who the Mole is!"

"Oh, this is the moment I've been waiting for!" Peach said excitedly.

"Yeah, for too long," Lakitu mumbled.

"Only two remain," McHallyboo told the executed players. "Toadette and Blooper. One of them is the Mole." Everyone continued to watch the television, knowing that they were soon about to witness the unmasking of the saboteur.

* * *

"I still can't a believe it," said Luigi, as dumbfounded as ever. "I thought...the quiz was impossible...I guess old-fashioned luck really helps sometimes."

"Trust me, it wasn't just luck that brought you all the way here," McHallyboo told him. Luigi shrugged modestly.

"Still," he said. "I can't believe I won this game." Then, Luigi's smile faded.

"But I feel awful for the loser," he admitted. "That's why I'm just not at my happiest moment right now. I feel as if the runner-up deserves the money more than I a do." McHallyboo looked at his remote.

"Why don't we end this right now?" McHallyboo suggested. "There's a very important question to answer. With you being the victor, that means you, Luigi, knows who the Mole is." Luigi froze for a second in realization.

"Yup," he said. "I do know who the Mole is. And an awesome Mole this person was, I must admit."

"I did realize that this Mole tried to achieve your trust," added McHallyboo, as they both walked down platform of the train station. "Were you fooled?"

"Yes, and no," said Luigi. "I agree that the Mole did try to make me believe the lies. Little did I know that I was being targeted by the Mole, or at least I think the Mole was targeting me. Still, no hard feelings at all. It was so fun figuring out who the Mole really was." They finally stopped in front of one of the train cars.

"This compartment has the Mole," Luigi confirmed.

"And which button on the remote do you want me to press?"

"The very last one." McHallyboo held out the remote for Luigi.

"Why don't you do it," McHallyboo suggested. Then with a grin, he added, "Winner?" Luigi opened his mouth, excited and feeling more like a winner than he had ever felt before in this game. He focused his eyes on the name above the button he was about to press.

Then, taking in a deep breath, he pressed down on the third button.

The sensors of the car were switched on. Instead of the immediate opening of the train doors, a green light was emitted from the inside of the car. Luigi and McHallyboo stepped back to make room for the Mole's exit, being bathed in the green light as the doors finally opened.

"Mole," McHallyboo ordered in a soft voice. "Come out."

The person, the betrayer, the traitor who had deceived them all became visible to everybody. Standing in the green light, the Mole smiled.

"Hi guys," Toadette said, stepping her way carefully onto the dusty terrain of the train platform.

She was the Mole.

* * *

Peach burst into laughter. Birdo looked stunned. Lakitu's face was frozen with a look of stupidity. The Mole had been revealed to all of them: Toadette Rytoad.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Doopliss, shaking his head. "It was Toadette? Not Blooper?"

"Hey, I was actually right," Rawk Hawk realized. "Toadette's the Mole!"

"Toadette, you little saboteur," said Peach teasingly. "I knew it was you all along."

"Well, I didn't," said Lakitu. "Darn! And I made it all the way to the penultimate round, still guessing the wrong person."

"To be honest, I would have never guessed that Toadette was the Mole," said Birdo. "Guess she tricked a majority of us."

"Cheers for the Mole!" Daisy shouted.

The executed players clapped. With the mystery over and the game finally finished, each one of them felt their own level of surprise and contentment. Either feeling shocked or satisfied, they all continued to watch the television for the end of the game's conclusion.

* * *

"Job well done, Mole," McHallyboo said, sticking out his hand for her to shake. "You tricked even me." Toadette grinned and shook the host's hand.

"It was such a pleasure," said Toadette. She looked at Luigi and gave him a hug, then stepped back with a smile.

"Well done!" she said with a laugh. Luigi blushed.

"How did you feel waiting for your door to open?" Toadette asked him. Luigi shook his head and chuckled.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe the reason I don't remember how I felt was because I didn't expect to be the winner." They both laughed.

"Aww, but you are," Toadette told him. "You're the winner. Congratulations!"

"And you were the greatest Mole ever," Luigi told her. "I never suspected you until near the end."

"Well, thank you," said Toadette, straightening out her coat. "I guess you were the only one who pinned me down as the traitor."

"Actually, I wasn't," said Luigi. "But it must have been really stressful, right?"

"Yeah, it was," Toadette said. She shrugged.

"But I'm so glad it's over." Toadette went to give Luigi a second hug, and Luigi happily accepted it.

"There is still one person missing out on this victory," McHallyboo reminded them. Toadette turned to look at the host. Luigi looked down at the ground.

"Yes, there is," Luigi said, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. The three of them walked over to the very last car of the train. There was nothing but silence.

"Can I let him out?"

"Certainly," replied McHallyboo. Still grabbing the remote of the train, Luigi pressed the first button of the remote. Above the button was a familiar name: Blooper. The door opened up, and the third player stepped out of the train.

"Hey," Blooper said to Luigi. "Congratulations. You're the winner." Despite taking the spot of runner-up, Blooper smiled weakly.

"Thanks so much!" said Luigi, shifting his feet. "I, umm..." Even thought he was overjoyed from his victory, Luigi couldn't help but be sorry for Blooper's unfortunate end.

"Blooper, you are our runner-up," McHallyboo told him. "You are the Mole's last and final victim. I'm very sorry."

"I knew it had to end up either way," Blooper said, nodding his head. "Either I would have won, or Luigi would have won." He shook his head, mad, downhearted, but easily accepting his defeat. Toadette smiled.

"So I guess you both suspected me," Toadette said, rolling her eyes.

"True," said Blooper, "but, you have no idea how much doubt you put into my mind." He turned to Luigi.

"Now you can finally show Mario who's better," Blooper told him with a grin. Luigi smiled, too overwhelmed to say anything. Toadette laughed and patted Blooper on the back.

"Incredible job," Blooper said to Toadette, "Mole."

"Not as incredible as the jobs you guys had done," she said truthfully. The three players walked down the stairs of the train station, with the host following a distance behind them.

"I'm hungry," said Blooper, and then looked at Luigi. "You're buying dinner." The three of them laughed.

"I think the Mole should buy dinner instead," Luigi protested, "but I guess that, uh, won't be happening."

They were players, companions who had finally finished their game. Everything was over, and besides the unbreakable friendships they had created and unforgettable memories of their experience, nothing else remained.

"You're not the Mole anymore, right?" Blooper asked Toadette as they got into the waiting limousine. "I don't want you to drive this vehicle off a cliff or anything."

"Don't worry, I'm done," she said reassuringly. "If I had to do one more act of sabotage I think I would have told someone straight out that I was the Mole."

"Come on!" Luigi said with disbelief. "You would have never done that."

"The Mole can do whatever they want to do," she said with a smile, as the limousine drove them off to their free dinner. "Once a Mole, always a Mole."

* * *

Toadette: Being the Mole was one of the hardest things I had ever done.

_N__ext: The three finalists reunite with the executed players. Blooper reveals his ruthless yet unintentional strategy, resulting in the victory of his coalition partner._

Luigi: What did you tell Lakitu?

Blooper: I told him all about Birdo and Peach suspecting Toadette. It's a lie, but it'll eliminate him.

_We'll also show how each of the executed players fell victim to the Mole. And what exactly happened with Doopliss? After that, all the sabotage committed by the Mole will be uncovered, as well as the hidden clues that pointed to her identity._

* * *

**And after a full year, we have it! Luigi as our grand and well-deserved winner of 240,000 coins. Blooper, our hard-working loser who got so close, became the final victim. And of course, Toadette was finally unmasked as the Mole.**

**Congratulations to all who correctly identified the Mole, picking out her suspicious actions and possibly even the hidden clues scattered amuck. Don't miss the remainder of this episode , where EVERYTHING is revealed, not only just the identity of the Mole.**

**These are the results of the poll, asking who you believed the Mole was. According to the results, the majority believed that Luigi was the saboteur. Next came Blooper, and most successfully, Toadette was the least suspected of being the traitor. My greatest thanks to everyone who voted! Review anything you feel for now.**

_**Luigi**_** (THE WINNER)**: _**12 Votes/54 percent**_

_**Blooper **_**(THE RUNNER-UP): 7**_** votes/31 percent**_

_**Toadette**_** (THE MOLE): **_**3 votes/13 percent**_


	37. Truth and Deception

**Episode 8 (Finale, Part 2)**

"It's them!" Doopliss said wth surprise. Everyone turned around. From the entrance of the hotel came the three players, smiling wide and looking different. The executed players ran up to them, ecstatic and delighted.

"Luigi!" cried Daisy, wrapping her arms around him happily. "You did it! I knew you would win!"

"Awesome, dude!" said Rawk Hawk. "Never did I think you would be the winner." Luigi laughed.

"Daisy, I missed you!" Luigi told her. "Rawk Hawk!"

"Toadette!" Peach exclaimed, spotting her friend.

"Peach!" Both friends embraced, then laughed with excitement. Toadette then went to greet the others, people whom she had never seen for the past three months.

"You did so good!" Birdo told Toadette.

"Birdo!" said Toadette happily. "Thanks!"

"Blooper, Blooper, Blooper," Lakitu said, walking up to him. He chuckled and shook Blooper's tentacle.

"Since when weren't you the Mole?"

"Come on," said Blooper. "It ws pretty obvious it was Toadette. How've you been?"

"How have I been? Awful! I had to wait three whole months to discover who won and who the Mole was."

"Okay, who here wants to tell Luigi how surprised we were when we found he had won?" Doopliss asked out loud. The lobby filled with laughter.

"Who else would have won?" Daisy questioned, hugging Luigi even tighter.

"Me," Blooper muttered. The players laughed again. Once settled down, they sat back down in their chairs in order to continue with their reunion ceremony. To make room for the three additional guests, McHallyboo dragged a couch into the center of the lobby. The winner, the loser, and the Mole sat down next to each other.

"So this is all of you," McHallyboo pointed out. "All nine players from the top of Cliff Springs."

"Yeah, except we're not about to jump off a cliff," said Rawk Hawk.

"And we're not worrying about who the Mole is," Peach added.

"And then it came down to three players at the very end," said McHallyboo. "Two players and the Mole. With Toadette already knowing from the start that she was out of the running for the money, it came down to only two; Luigi Mario and Blooper Inke. The final quiz about the Mole was taken, and as you all know, Luigi was the winner." All the players except for Luigi clapped, as Luigi looked down at the carpet floor, flattered.

"Blooper, did you also suspect Toadette?" McHallyboo asked him.

"In fact, I did," he answered. "Both Luigi and I knew that Toadette was the Mole before we took the last quiz. It all came down to who had the best memory." The other players nodded in realization.

"Who here is completely surprised that Toadette turned out to be the Mole?" Doopliss, Daisy, Birdo, and Lakitu raised their hands.

"I thought it just couldn't be her," said Birdo. "That's pretty much why I got executed."

"Lakitu, how did you get so far into the game, yet still be surprised that Toadette was the Mole?"

"I think Blooper knows the answer," Lakitu said, not bothering to explain. Lakitu glared over at Blooper as the others laughed. In truth, nobody else besides the two of them understood what had really happened in the sixth episode.

"So Luigi and Blooper were coalition partners since the fifth episode. Trying to keep this coalition a secret, they were able to both make it to the end. So how did Luigi end up being the winner? Let's take a look." The television turned on once again.

* * *

Nine players. Among them was the Mole, planted to sabotage the missions of the other eight.

Blooper: _This is tough. I have no idea who to trust in this game._

Luigi: _I have a very bad feeling that I'll be executed first. I have no idea who the Mole is!_

Blooper's initial strategy was to pick out at any sabotage during the challenges. Seeing Luigi's sabotage in the Cliff Springs challenge made Blooper decide to put Luigi at the top of his list. Along with Luigi, his suspects were Daisy and Toadette.

Blooper: _I think that Luigi could well be the Mole. But if he isn't, I'm pretty sure it's a female. The males in this game are playing too hard, including me._

In Episode 2, Blooper displayed his intelligence by helping the team win in the Egg Transfer Challenge. Unknown to him, the players in the limousine with Blooper found his actions suspicious. Both Birdo and Peach put Blooper at the top of their lists.

It was Doopliss who first talked to Blooper about Toadette being the Mole. Confident that Doopliss would vote for Toadette on the next quiz, Blooper split his answers between Toadette and Luigi. But unaware to Blooper, Doopliss had talked to Toadette right before taking the quiz. Accusing her of being the Mole and telling her that he was going to vote for her on that night's quiz, Toadette persuaded Doopliss that he was wrong.

Toadette: I'm not smart enough to be the Mole. In fact, Doopliss, I'm beginning to think that Peach is the Mole. I'm really scared that it might be true, so just in case, I'm going to vote for her tonight.

Doopliss: _After talking with Toadette, I don't think she's the Mole. She suspects Peach, so maybe I should vote for Peach too. That way, Toadette might get executed and I won't._

Doopliss was deceived and became the Mole's second victim. Thinking that Doopliss got executed because he voted for Toadette, Blooper temporarily erased Toadette from his list and focused solely on Luigi and Daisy.

But for Episode 3, Blooper made a new suspect: Peach. Seeing how the boat malfunctioned during the Hostage challenge and knowing that none of it was his fault, Blooper became nearly convinced that Peach was the Mole. Not wanting to forget his suspicions about Luigi, he disregarded Daisy as the Mole and made his new suspects the two remaining humans in the game. That episode, Daisy was executed.

Blooper: _Suspect number one: Luigi. Suspect number two: Peach. Suspect number three: Toadette._

At this point in the game, it was Lakitu who was the only player who suspected Toadette all the way. Then, Blooper's mind changed when Birdo decided to talk to him.

Birdo: I've paired up with Luigi in two games this episode. In both of them, it looked as if he tried his best to sabotage.

Blooper: I know. He's been one of my top suspects since the beginning.

Knowing that he wasn't the only one who suspected Luigi, Blooper felt safe enough to ignore Peach and Toadette and vote entirely for Luigi on the quiz. Starting at the end of Episode 4, Blooper thought he had found a coalition partner. But the coalition didn't last long.

McHallyboo: On tonight's quiz, there had been a tie.

Blooper had tied with Birdo on the quiz. According to the rules, the player who took the quiz slower would be sent home. Because Birdo was nineteen seconds slower, she was executed.

Blooper: _I believe I had tied with Birdo on last night's quiz. I'm so fortunate to still be here. If there would have been a final mistake for me in this game, it would be suspecting the wrong person as the Mole._

Now completely sure that Luigi wasn't the Mole for Episode 5, Blooper wanted to make up for his lost chance at a coalition.

Luigi: Coalition? Err, exactly how do we start a coalition?

Blooper: I know it sounds risky, but we are not allowed to vote for each other at all during the quizzes.

Blooper told Luigi about his theory of the Mole being female. However, Luigi became hesitant.

Luigi: _Blooper is convinced that the Mole is a girl. I always thought the Mole was Lakitu. Who knows, maybe Blooper is the Mole!_

Finding it odd that the Mole would try to convince him that Lakitu wasn't the Mole, Luigi was able to put some trust into Blooper, and decided to partially go with Blooper's theory. Instead of voting for just Lakitu on the fifth episode's quiz, he also decided to focus his last three questions on one of the girls. Trusting Peach more, he luckily decided to go with Toadette.

McHallyboo: Peach, you are executed.

Peach scored three questions correctly on the quiz. Luigi scored four correct. All thanks to Blooper, Luigi survived.

For Episode 6, Blooper needed a plan to get rid of the only person remaining besides he and Blooper: Lakitu.

Blooper: I need to be as close as I could to Lakitu during this episode.

Luigi: What would that do?

Blooper: That way, I can talk to him as much as I can. I'm going to make him believe one of us is the Mole.

Fully aware that Lakitu suspected Toadette, his plan was to persuade Lakitu enough before the final round to believe that either he or Luigi was the Mole. The perfect oppourtunity came when they were forced to split into pairs.

Blooper: Since Lakitu and Toadette are such good players and have associated so well with each other, they will be a pair and I'll pair with Luigi. Objections?

Luigi: Maybe...

Blooper: _All of a sudden, we were actors. When I suggested that Luigi and I pair up together, Luigi objected it. In other words, we were just playing with Lakitu's, and maybe even Toadette's, minds. It looked as if Luigi thought I was the Mole._

Lakitu: _I'm beginning to think that maybe Luigi knows Blooper is the Mole. I guess I might be heading into the wrong direction if I keep on sticking with Toadette._

Even more to Blooper's delight, Lakitu found his actions during the Koopa Spelling challenge suspicious. However, there was a downside to his plan. Since Blooper wanted to stick with Lakitu, this forced Luigi to spend valuable time with Toadette, the Mole, during the Exhibit challenge. During this time, Toadette told Luigi about her only sister, a question that would prove vital on the final quiz. Luigi also forced answers from Toadette by asking her questions about their past missions, hoping they would later on help him win the game.

Luigi: In the Craps game, I can't believe Birdo thought I would shave my head!

Toadette: I know! She predicted I wouldn't do my dare, which kind of surprised me because Birdo always believed in people.

On their walk back to the Bob-omb village after they had completed their Koopa Spelling challenge, Blooper found it a perfect time to continue with his plan. He tried telling Lakitu that both Birdo and Peach had suspected Toadette before they took their final quizzes.

Lakitu: What?! Are you serious? I've voted for Toadette since the third episode!

Not fully sure that Lakitu had believed him, he planned for Luigi to talk to Lakitu and tell him the exact same thing. Luigi did so, but also lied to Lakitu about suspecting Blooper.

Luigi: You know Lakitu, I really think Blooper is the Mole. Both Birdo and Peach went for Toadette, but they got executed, so it just can't a be her.

Lakitu: That's the exact same thing Blooper told me. If you said it, it has to be true then.

Luigi: Still, I would never ever listen to anything Blooper says. I never can trust him in my life.

Having no idea that Luigi was deceiving him, Lakitu felt the urge to vote for Blooper, thinking that everyone else was also voting for him. However, he still didn't forget about Toadette.

Lakitu: _I've suspected Toadette from the beginning. I don't know why, she's always there to talk to, and that's made me think she's the Mole. That's why I have no idea why I've decided to go for Blooper on the quiz tonight. If Toadette really is the Mole, I'm executed._

Lakitu was executed.

* * *

"You bastards!" Lakitu shouted. The other players erupted in laughter, Blooper and Luigi laughing the loudest over the other players.

"My deepest apologies," said Blooper, grinning.

"You bastards," Lakitu repeated. He sat down in chair and sighed. McHallyboo shrugged.

"It was nothing else but strategy," the host pointed out. "A cruel method, but a successful plan. But express your anger after the reunion. Let's continue on."

* * *

Blooper:_ The final mistake I could ever make in this game is suspecting the wrong person as being the Mole. At this point, I know that's impossible for me to do. But now I know what my mistake was. Maybe I shouldn't have done that in the first place. I know that it was wrong to form a coalition._

At the end, it was down to two players: Blooper and Luigi. No longer partners, they went against each other in the final episode. But at this point in the game, Blooper knew that he was at a great disadvantage.

Blooper: _It makes me really uncomfortable to know that Luigi spent the whole night talking to Toadette in McHallyboo's Funhouse._

And on top of that, Luigi had displayed in previous challenges his great ability to remember things.

Toadette: _I asked Luigi if he knew the order that the names were called in the very first execution. And he knew it perfectly. It was amazing._

Knowing that this was key to being successful on the final quiz, Blooper felt pressured and regretful. He finally knew what his last mistake was: bringing Luigi to the final round with him.

In the end, it was Luigi who was triumphant, winning the team pot and taking the spot of the winner. The runner-up, devastated and realizing that his hard work had come to a loss, went home empty-handed.

But despite his demise, Blooper felt triumphant in his own way. Working alone for the majority of the game with determination and self-confidence, he was able to travel his way to the very end.

Blooper: _I find it strange, finding myself a little sad. It's been a lot of adventure, a lot of fun, a lot of stress, excitement, but most of all I'm just going to miss this game. Do I still feel like a winner? In my own way, of course.  
_

* * *

The players clapped for Blooper, finally knowing the whole story. He had come so close to the end, lost, yet still proved himself to be a winner. Blooper couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, I guess," he said humbly.

"Blooper is indeed our runner-up," McHallyboo declared. "Blooper, what made you decide to form a coalition with Luigi?"

"I felt that it was the only way to continue on," Blooper told the group. "As soon as I knew Luigi wasn't the Mole, I was relieved. I needed to trust at least one person." Blooper looked at Luigi.

"And the reason I lost was because I underestimated him."

"So Luigi," said McHallyboo. "Do you have anything to say to Blooper?"

"I'm sorry!" Luigi blurted, something he had wanted to say ever since that day at the train station. Everyone laughed, including Blooper.

"No problem," Blooper reassured. "There really isn't a need for you to say sorry. It was all my fault for what happened."

"The last quiz was extremely difficult," the host explained. "All the questions required a great deal of memory, and they actually travelled back to the very beginning of the game. How many questions did you think you got correct? Blooper? Luigi?"

"Three," said Blooper. The others laughed.

"No, but it was seriously impossible," he continued. "The first question asked about which helicopter the Mole arrived in when we first arrived at Cliff Springs. Nobody could have remembered that."

"If Blooper got three correct, I probably got four!" Luigi considered.

"On that final quiz," McHallyboo confirmed, "Blooper got twelve questions correct, and Luigi got fifteen correct." Blooper nodded. Luigi looked surprised.

"Well, we should all congratulate Blooper for making it farther than any of us," Birdo said. They clapped once again.

"And now we come to the Mole," McHallyboo announced. Toadette immediately smiled.

"Our youngest player ended up being the traitor," the host continued. "So Toadette, not only did you have to deal with everyone else overpowering you, but you also had to hide your true identity from everyone else. How was it being the Mole?"

"Being the Mole," Toadette told the group, "was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life. You would have to lie constantly, and you could never be yourself. You really wanted to just tell someone who you really were. But you knew you weren't allowed to. You were the Mole."

"And Toadette is not an actor," McHallyboo said. "In fact, she is an emergency nurse. So Toadette, how were you able to react to things so genuinely? Take for instance, the executions."

"The executions were such a pain," Toadette said with a laugh. "I had to pretend to be scared of leaving. So every dinner we had before the quiz, I was already in my acting mode. I would be looking so nervous and breathing heavier than usual. When the execution ceremonies came, I just put on my most terrified face. Whenever my name would be called and the green screen would appear, I would relax and breathe out as deeply as I could. Even after I was declared safe, I would pretend to still be overwhelmed."

"It actually worked," Lakitu admitted. "That's why we all got fooled."

"So let's take a closer look at exactly what Toadette had to go through," said McHallyboo, turning on the television.

* * *

Before the show started, Toadette was assigned to be the Mole.

Toadette: _I kind of wanted to be the Mole. You were guaranteed to make it to the end. But I never anticipted how hard my job would be._

In the beginning, Toadette displayed herself as one of the weakest players by being hesitant to jump in the first challenge

Rawk Hawk: _I don't think Toadette's the Mole. She's not strong enough, physically and mentally. The Mole has to be a strong person._

_**EXECUTED**_

In between challenges, Toadette would meet with the producers of the show and be informed about their next games.

Producer: For the next challenge, Luigi will be taken to a secret location. There would be plenty of oppourtunities to sabotage. If you ride in the boat, you can easily disable the navigation device.

That way, Toadette would be able to figure out ways to sabotage. She would also be told about the other players' suspicions about her.

Producer: Lakitu clearly has suspicions of you. He talked about how you would always seemed to react to things so strongly.

Toadette: So should I just copy everyone else's reactions?

Producer: Exactly.

Toadette also used her emotions to throw people off. In the Clue House challenge, she pretended to be upset over the fact that Lakitu had manipulated her. And when she failed to rescue her mother in the Relatives challenge, not only did she succeed in throwing her teammates off, but she was genuinely upset. She was never informed that she would be able to see her mother later on.

And Toadette's ability to lie made her a great deceiver.

Doopliss: _Toadette told me that she suspects Peach. She sounded pretty convinced._

_**EXECUTED**_

Daisy: _I feel so sorry for Toadette because she told me how she gets so scared at the executions. I don't want to be there when she really becomes eliminated._

_**EXECUTED**_

Birdo: _I guess Toadette really wanted that exemption in the Craps challenge. That's one of the reasons I don't believe she's the Mole._

_**EXECUTED**_

In Episode 4, Toadette was caught off guard when Lakitu suddenly accused of her being the Mole.

Lakitu: The Mole is none other than Toadette!

Toadette: _I was terrified at that moment! I didn't know what to say. Should I deny it? Should I just not say anything?_

Quick thinking helped turn the situation around, because Toadette decided to make fun of Lakitu's statement.

Toadette: Keep looking, scaredy cats. And you can suspect me all you want and be the Mole's next victim on the quiz.

The farther Toadette went into the game, the more stressed she became. She became nervous and more concerned about the fact that there were less people to suspect as the Mole. Once someone was onto her, she tried her best to throw them off.

Peach: _I hope that both Toadette and I will make it to the end and figure out who the Mole is._

_**EXECUTED**_

When Peach got executed, Toadette recorded a tearful video diary entry that was never seen by the others.

Toadette: _You know that you're not supposed to trust anyone in this game. But when Peach decided to trust me, it made me feel as if someone was there to help me. The way I returned her kindness was by eliminating her._

Even though she was near to giving up, Toadette remained strong until the end and finished her job as the Mole. Her gift of lying and her ability to avoid suspicion from the other players showed that she played the role of saboteur perfectly.

Toadette: _There's not too many things you get to do in life. But do play undercover for an entire month, sabotaging secretly, and knowing that you're the only person aware of it, was just an amazing experience that I'll always remember. You can never forget it.  
_

Toadette looked around and smiled as her teammates clapped for her. Finally unmasked as the Mole, the others felt a small amount of respect for the young player.

"You go, Toadette!" Peach cheered.

"Once again, Toadette, you were an amazing Mole," McHallyboo told her.

"Thank you," she replied. "I enjoyed doing it."

"Did it really get that stressful?" he asked her.

"In a way, it did," she said truthfully. "The more people got executed from the game, the more you needed to stay hidden. On top of that, you knew you were the cause of everyone being executed. So the deeper I got into the game, the more stress and guilt shadowed over me."

"But you did excellent," concluded McHallyboo. The players clapped once more.

"So what did Toadette do to sabotage the game? And what exctly were the numerous clues that pointed to her identity? We'll show when we come back."

* * *

**Next:**

_Toadette uncovers her hidden sabotage._

Toadette: I stole the key from Blooper when we were travelling through the obstacle course.

_And all the clues are revealed_.

McHallyboo: If you looked carefully, you would have noticed that the players arrived at Cliff Springs alphabetically.

* * *

**Once a Mole, always a Mole. Don't miss out on the end of the finale, on the next update! It's pretty much the end of this season. **

**If you have any question, feel free to ask them in a review. For example: "Why was Toadette let out when the third button of the remote pushed, when she was located in the second train car? In other words, why was the order messed up?"**

**The answer being because the names on the remote were alphabetical, and had no relation to the locations of the players on the train. So that's why Toadette was freed when the third button was pushed.  
**

**And as well as questions like: "Is the Mole paid? Toadette talked all about helping her sister through college. That would have been cruel for her to say if she was guaranteed no cash at all." The Mole is indeed paid, in a special way.**

**And also questions that ask something along the following: "Will there be a second season?"  
**


	38. The Grand Saboteur

**Episode 8 (Finale, Part 3)**

"Welcome back to The Mole: Traitor Aboard. For those of you who just tuned in, Blooper was the Mole's last victim. Luigi, the player least expected to win the game, became the winner of 240,000 coins. And Toadette was the Mole. So it's time for us to see how exactly Toadette sabotaged the challenges."

Everyone but the Mole turned to the television with curiosity.

* * *

Whenever possible, Toadette would meet with the producers and be informed about their next challenges. That way, she could plan ways to sabotage ahead of time.

* * *

**Episode 1 :**

**Cliff Springs Challenge**

"I arrived in my helicopter and pretended to be unfamiliarized in where I was. I pretended to know nothing about the game and go along with the others. I wanted other players to think I was a weak type of player, so I was one of the most hesitant to jump during the task."

_Flashback __**Lakitu: **__"You can do it Toadette! Just jump." _

_**Daisy**: (looking up at the cliff) "She's been there for like three minutes already. Is she scared?"_

"Luigi's sabotage shattered the entire team. Immediately, people suspected him."

_**Challenge Lost**  
_

**Baggage Challenge **

"My initial plan was to not be picked out as a sorter. I was going to simply tell the chosen sorters incorrect items, thus making them mess up and cast suspicion on themselves. But when Peach volunteered me, I just couldn't deny the role."

_Flashback_ _**Peach**: "I choose Toadette."_

"Switching the names of Rawk Hawk and Blooper became my first act of sabotage, and I did it in such a confident and fast manner during our limited time that Lakitu didn't even care."

_Flashback **Toadette:** "Then that must be Blooper's." (scribbles the name "Blooper" onto the bag)_

_**SABOTAGE**_

_**10,000 coins**_

* * *

**Episode 2:**

**Egg Transfer Challenge**

"When I read that we were going to play this challenge in the second episode, I wanted the writers to scrap it. It seemed impossible! But stupid me, because they decided to keep it and it turned out that we somehow ended up succeeding. I thought that this challenge was incredibly difficult, and because of Blooper and his intelligence, along with Daisy's expertise at charades, we were able to win."

_(Flashbacks of Daisy show her holding up her fingers to represent the egg, and her creative charades of an egg and a vacuum)_

"Blooper was very smart. He was extremely suspicious in the challenge, though, and it was a good way to steer suspicion towards him."

_Flashback **Blooper**: "Oh, put the egg into the hose of the vacuum!" (The other players in the limo turn to him in surprise)_

"But he didn't know how to use a compass. I looked at Birdo, and she was ready to jump and do it herself. So I volunteered to do it and rushed through the compass-opening part, but on the downside, looked like an expert at it."

Although her actions seemed too experienced during the game, nobody paid any attention at her because all eyes were focused solely on Blooper.

_**Challenge Won**_

**Accustomed and Acquired Challenge**

"This challenge was a good way to throw suspicion away from myself. I knew the girls would sabotage this game by not eating the disgusting dishes, which meant that people would suspect them as the Mole instead of me. There was Peach, refusing to even take a bite from her food."

_Flashback **Birdo**:_ _"Take a bite from it." (Peach shakes her head)_

"Birdo actually used the puke bucket. Daisy uncontrollably freaked out after seeing the duck in the egg. Then Lakitu mysteriously deciding to switch seats with Daisy at the last second. The way I sort of manipulated this challenge was that beforehand, I told the writers what dishes to put for the challenge. All the 'Acquired' foods; blood pudding, enoki, durian, fermented squid guts, and even balut, were all favorites of mine. I found it funny how a person like me can have a wide variety of tastes, but I guess it came in handy. So whatever I got, being an 'Accustomed' or 'Acquired', I would have eaten it. Except for the wasabi, though. I mean, I could have eaten it, but then I'd be annoyed afterwards. Poor Doopliss."

_(flashbacks of Doopliss panting and shouting in pain, downing glasses of water after another)_

**_Challenge Lost_**

**Clue Challenge**

"I don't know what I was supposed to do. They instructed me to go into the location place and lose ten thousand coins from the pot, and on top of that, try to make it look like I were desperate in discovering what the clue was. So I happened to stumble across Lakitu and everything worked out perfectly."

_Flashback **Lakitu**: "Why don't you check inside that building, because I'm really not sure. Ask them for directions."_

"I do not know why Lakitu told me to enter a closed shop and make sure that it WASN'T the building with the clue inside. And why did he tell me to ask the people in the shop for directions when the shop was closed? I mean, too bad the others didn't fully understand this scene, because it would have really drawn suspicion towards Lakitu. When McHallyboo told everyone what I had done and how I had cost the team money, I decided to act really, really emotional and distraught. That way, I would look like a person who could not be the Mole, even though I was."

_**SABOTAGE**_

_**10,000 coins**_

* * *

**Episode 3:**

**Hostage Challenge**

_Flashback **Blooper: "**Peach denied having done anything to do with it, but the only thing I'm sure of was when she touched the boat's navigation screen, the device collapsed. I can't see how that could have been an accident."_

_Flashback **Peach:** "I know in my heart that I had NOTHING to do with the breaking of the navigator. Blooper is blaming me because he knows in HIS heart that he was the one behind it all."_

It wasn't Blooper's fault, nor was it Peach's. It was Toadette's.

"I loved the Hostage challenge, because number one, it was full of action and very James Bondish, with fast-paced vehicles trying to reach one of the 'weakest' players in time before he falls to his death. But the second reason I liked it was because I sabotaged it completely, and nobody knew about it. I knew that the Tranquil Travellers would leave first to their vehicle, so being a person who was sensitive and calm, people didn't find it fishy that I would choose the tranquil role of the game."

_Flashback **Toadette:** "The least scary. I'll be a tranquil traveler."_

"So Birdo and I left a minute before the others would. As Birdo went directly to the car, I had to run my way to the docked motor boat on the other side of the hotel, 70 meters away, unlock the navigation screen so it would slide up, cut the blue and white wires behind it, close it, and run back, all under two minutes and before Peach or Blooper could discover me at the boat. The producers left it up to me to decide whether I would do it or not. Being the Mole, I knew that I had to do my job and take risks. It wasn't that easy. Birdo was clearly suspicious."

_Flashback **Birdo: "**What took you so long?" (Toadette gets into the car with no reply)_

"So when Peach put her hand on the screen during the time when the game was occurring, the device collapsed like it was supposed to. That was the reason the boat never made it to the hostage. Blooper and Peach blamed each other for the event. But nobody pointed at me afterwards, not even Birdo."

_**SABOTAGE**_

_**20,000 coins**_

**Jail Escape Challenge**

"There wasn't really anything to do in the Jail challenge. The money would be added to the pot if all innocent players were the same gender, but that was out of my control. The main point of the game was to see which people peeked at the sacred tubes they were given, and which people stayed honest to the game. I knew in my mind that all of the guys had opened their tubes, because, well, men are curious. Women look before they leap."

_Flashback **McHallyboo:** "You are indeed telling the truth, as your paper is partially exposed, suggesting that there was only a brief period of sunlight. However, that is no defense and that does not exceed the parameters, so you are guilty. Guards, take her away."_

"I wanted my opening of the tube to look like an accident. I don't know why, I just wanted it to look as if I told the truth. But in the end, I knew that one of us would end up spending the night in prison. Having memorized the answer to the riddle beforehand, I got out in time. Lakitu ended up spending the night in jail. Luigi, who claimed to be horrible at math, escaped. Blooper dented the bench in his cell, which is fair proof that he had anger management issues ever since the third episode."

_Flashback _**_Toadette:_ **_"Two hundred one, five hundred fourteen…five hundred twenty, two hundred five." (the police officer nods, Toadette shouts with relief)_

How those numbers reveal the identity of the Mole would be explained later on.

**_Challenge Won_**

* * *

**Episode 4:**

**Sell and Laugh Challenge**

"I knew beforehand that the items we bought were the items that Blooper and Lakitu had to sell, so when Peach and I picked out items for the other two to sell in the Rogueport market place, I aimed for the most strange, unsellable objects I could think of."

_Flashback **Peach**: "Let's go for really attractive things."_

"As Peach was focused on more luxorious items, I went for items that I hoped people wouldn't even bother looking at."

_Flashback **Toadette**: "That shovel looks nice."_

"I picked out a three foot shovel, a large mirror, three pumpkins in very horrible conditions, and miniature shoes that probably couldn't fit anyone in Rogeport. Thanks to me, Blooper and Lakitu had a blast trying to sell those items."

Not surprisingly, they were only able to sell the items that Peach had picked out. Because they were so unable to earn enough money in time, thanks to the innapropiate objects they were forced to sell, Lakitu was tempted to take money out of the pot for his exemption, which in the end cost the team money.

_**SABOTAGE**_

_**10,000 coins**_

**Craps Challenge**

"This game was pretty amusing. I really wanted to see everyone succeed for the horrible tasks they had to do. So no sabotage was done by me. On the good side, I kind of played with the minds of the others. I made them say to themselves, 'Oh, Toadette did all that for an exemption, she can't be the Mole', which is in fact the reason why Birdo turned away from me. I was also able to get a cool hair dye out of it."

Toadette proved herself the heroine for that challenge, and earned herself a useless exemption.

**_Challenge Won_**

**Board the Train Challenge**

"I paired up with Blooper, hoping that the stockade device from the previous challenge would hinder his work in this game."

_Flashback **Blooper**: "This challenge is hard. I'm too tired."_

"Then I let him struggle with the title for To Kill A Mocking Bird, which was fun to watch because I loved books, and I knew the answer right away as soon as I read the clue. I guess I didn't try hard enough because we were able to reach the train in time."

_Flashback_ **_McHallyboo_:** _"The team pot now has an additional twenty thousand coins. Well done guys." (As the others cheer, Toadette rolls her eyes)_

"I knew I had to sabotage the next game."

**_Challenge Won_**

* * *

**Episode 5:**

**Bell of Endurance Challenge**

"After letting two games go successfully, I knew that I needed to do major sabotage in the Bell of Enurance challenge, so that's why I volunteered for one of the keys in the beginning. I wanted to lose it. That way, we were guaranteed to lose the game. But once again, Peach forced me to switch to Plan B."

_Flashback **Peach**_: _"Give it to me, Toadette. Just give it."_

"Once again, my plan is foiled by the princess. I wasn't sure whether she thought I was the Mole, or whether she thought I was too weak and would be left behind, but what she did just made my mind spin from thinking so much. I needed to sabotage, but I didn't know how. Then I came up with the perfect idea when I saw Blooper put the key into his shirt pocket."

_Flashback **Toadette**_: _"I need to grab onto you. I can't go in there with nobody behind me." (grabs tightly onto Blooper's shirt)_

"When we were crawling under the Razor-Wire blanket, my initial plan was to grab the key from his pocket without him realizing, but that was too risky. So what I did was when I grabbed him, I pulled back on his shirt so hard and quick that the key was pushed out of his pocket. I was a little bit stunned, because I didn't know it would be that easy. I saw with my very own eyes the key fall onto the dirt ground, and it almost touched his tentacle. Thank goodness he didn't see the key as he continued to crawl forwards, so when he was ahead of me, I took the key and stuffed it into the ground. I never saw it again."

_Flashback **Lakitu:**_ _"I don't get it! How could you lose the key?" (Blooper shrugs)_

"When the game was over, it was so amusing to see everyone blame each other for losing the challenge. I felt like the perfect Mole."

_**SABOTAGE**_

_**30,000 coins**_

**Relative Rescue Challenge**

"One of my least favorite games was the Relative Rescue challenge. Ugh. I hated it."

_Flashback **McHallyboo**_: "_You must cross your specially designed hallway, grab the key, and unlock the door in the end. Whoever does the slowest in each pair will not get to see their loved one._ "

"On top of that, if you failed to unlock your door under one minute, you lost money. So at the restaurant, we had to write down our worst fears."

_Flashback **Waiter: "**Sometimes it's good to lie."_

"We even got a clue from the waiter, who said that it was better to lie. You know, the reason being because it would have made our challenge easier. The others should have picked it up as clue, or at least, considered it. But I guess Blooper was the only one who understood what to really do. He picked 'Gold'. I picked 'spiders'. I wasn't really afraid of spiders, but a lot of other people are afraid of them so I was hoping the others would understand."

_Flashback **Toadette**:_ _"It was a hideous challenge." (tears form in Toadette's eyes)_

"I really, genuinely hated the game. I decided to take a hit from the pot, but then take a personal hit along with it by not being able to see my mom. So I think I really have to thank Lakitu for making me so happy afterwards and taking that neutralizer for me."

**_SABOTAGE_**

**_10,000 coins_**

**Laundry Race Challenge**

"I could have done a a lot of sabotage with finding the laundromat in the end of the game, but I decided to keep it to a limit. I found a carriage, which probably wasn't actually designed to carry people. However, the driver of the carriage decided to bring me to the laundromat anyway. My idea was to take such a long time on the carriage that I wouldn't be able reach the laundromat in time."

_Flashback **Toadette**:_ _"Stop the laundry!"_

Toadette decided to play heroine once again, winning money for the team pot.

_**Challenge Won**_

* * *

**Episode 6:**

**Exhibit Challenge**

"I looked around at the other pieces of art in the gallery and noticed they were very simple designs. I wanted to make our piece of art look as complex and sophisticated as it could be, that way, it would stand out and McHallyboo would easily tell that it was ours."

_Flashback **Toadette**:_ _"We'll make it as complex and sophisticated as possible, so much that the critic won't even consider choosing ours." _

_Flashback **Luigi:** "Great idea!"_

"It was very fun adding as much junk as possible to the design. I made Luigi do all the work, and told him to put a brick, stick, straw, and all this shattered glass into the broken television. After he finished, I cut the antennae of the TV into tiny metal pieces for ten straight minutes. When I was done, I just threw it into the mix."

_Flashback **Luigi**: "All that for that? That was utterly pointless!"_

"I don't think Luigi suspected me at all. He thought I was doing some special art enhancement that only girls knew about. So we ended up having this messy, non-symbolizing piece of junk, and to no surprise, McHallyboo picked it as ours."

_Flashback **McHallyboo:** "And an idea like this does not follow the others uniformly. Therefore, I officially decide that Luigi Mario and Toadette Rytoad had created this piece of art."_

Because of this loss, both Lakitu and Blooper were forced to play the second part of their game, in which they ended up failing.

**_SABOTAGE_**

**_15,000 coins_**

**McHallyboo's Funhouse**

Toadette made her most costly act of sabotage during McHallyboo's Funhouse.

"First of all, the card games were rigged. If the others looked closely, they could have seen that the deck was never shuffled by McHallyboo. The position of the cards were already set up to land me in second or third place. After that, we had to choose our rooms for the night. The producers told me all about the seven rooms in the house, and I decided to go for the most difficult sleeping compartment: the one with the crocodile in it. I chose the middle middle card, the third one, which I knew was the conservatory."

_Flashback **McHallyboo: **"This is Priscilla. She's a crocodile. A little one. And she's going to be your roommate for the night. She's VERY happy to see you." _

"All this water started to flood the room, and then the lights shut off, and then I heard the crocodile growl. It was so much fun! It was also really scary at the same time. It was a shame to have to quit the room early, because I really wanted to stay in that room until the end.

_Flashback **Toadette**: "I quit! I'm not doing this!"_

Because Toadette quit her room, she sacrificed the money earned earlier in the stake pot.

**_SABOTAGE_**

**_40,000 coins_**

**Episode 7:**

Toadette decided to try her best in the final episode of the game. Getting Luigi's questions right in the Three Questions challenge and helping them add ten minutes to their timer in the Journey of Completion, she tried to put as much as doubt as she could into the minds of the two final contestants.

Toadette: _Playing undercover was such an amazing and fun experience. I'll never be able to do it again, though._

She single-handedly kept 145,000 coins out of the team pot, more than half of the final pot value at the end of the game. Proving herself to be the perfect traitor, Toadette, the Mole, keeps it all.

* * *

The others sat with amazement. Toadette covered her mouth.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her eyes shining with joy. "Is it true?"

"Well, of course it is," McHallyboo confirmed. "After all, you do deserve it for being an incredible Mole. We give you the gift of one hundred and forty-five thousand coins. Well done."

"Yay for Toadette!" exclaimed Peach. The players cheered with delight, as the elated Toadette found tears appearing in her eyes.

"Oh, thank you all so much," said an overwhelmed Toadette. She looked around at her friends.

"And lastly, we shouldn't forget about Blooper," McHallyboo added, and from his pocket he pulled out a green-colored card. Blooper was taken back as the host handed it to him. The other players leaned in to see what it said.

"What is it?" asked an excited Daisy.

"A...a car," said Blooper, his eyes widening. "Holey moley!" The others clapped, laughing and happy for the Mole's final victim. He would not go empty-handed after all.

"Well, Blooper, it is a new Volkswagen Tiguan of 2009," he told him. "Here are the keys." Blooper stood up and took the keys from the host, still stunned. He sat back down and sighed happily.

"I should have been runner-up!" Luigi joked, as the group chuckled.

"So I guess everyone went home happy," said Doopliss.

"I'm happy just seeing everyone happy," Birdo said truthfully.

"And now we come down to the conclusion of our finale," said McHallyboo. "But before we end, the hidden clues that pointed to the Mole are soon to be revealed."

* * *

**Many challenges were sabotaged by a lot of players, but the one who sabotaged them the most was the Mole. After all, it was her job. And a well-deserved payment she gets.**

**Coming up next, the conclusion! Every hidden clue is shown. **

**I'll give a hint right now to one of the many clues scattered amock: ****Open up the chapters and look at their names. If you didn't know, the Mole was assigned ever since the _very beginning._**


	39. The Finale's End

**Don't forget to watch the finale of the Mole tonight on ABC! Coincidentally, this happens to be the last chapter of this story.**

* * *

**Episode 8 (Finale, Part 4)**

The host pulled out a poster from under his chair and opened it up. Displayed was the show's logo, on it being the title _The Mole: Traitor Aboard_.

"If you looked closely, there was a hidden clue on this logo all along," McHallyboo said, pointing at the first two letters of the word "traitor".

"What's so special about it?" Rawk Hawk said with confusion.

"Oh, I know!" Daisy realized. "The two letters are capitalized!"

"Aha," said Peach. The others took a long and closer look at the logo.

"This was just one of the many clues hidden throughout the game. Most of them very subtle, and some of them out in the open for you to see, they all would have helped you find out who the Mole was. How many of these did you catch? Let's take a look."

**_(If you want to, feel free to open the story in a new window and look back at the clues, as well as my profile for the picture clues. Enjoy!)_**

* * *

_**Episode 1 Clues:**_

1) Alphabetized Appearances

The first clue appeared in Episode 1. The players were brought to their first challenge by helicopter and were introduced in the order they arrived in. If you looked carefully at how they were introduced, you might have seen a certain order being shown: the players are being introduced alphabetically.

_Birdo, Blooper, Daisy, Doopliss, Lakitu, Luigi, Toadette, Peach, and Rawk Hawk_.

Toadette is the only one not in the correct position. Putting her between Luigi and Peach wouldn't have made any sense at all, unless you were to change her name into 'Mole'.

_**Episode 2 Clues:**_

1) The "Highest Scorer"

At the end of the Acquired/Accustomed challenge, I told Toadette that she shouldn't worry about the coming execution with that fact that she would be the highest scorer. I said this to her because the one to be the guaranteed the highest scorer every time is the Mole. Excluding the last episode of course, where the Mole doesn't take the quiz at all.

2) Alphabetized Alternatives

Similar to the clue in Episode 1, the second execution had an occupation question on the quiz. The choices, too, are seen as alphabetical:

_**-Actor -Air Traffic Controller -Gardener/Florist -Hair Salon Owner -Emergency Nurse -Plumber -Sea Scavenger -Tennis Trainer**_

One occupation is out of its place, which is _**Emergency nurse**_. If you were to change that occupation into Toadette's real job, then the _**Mole**_would be in the perfect position.

_**Episode 3 Clues:**_

1) Phone Number Correspondence

The numbers in the Noki Village clue went _6-6-5-3-4-7-8-7, _which, ironically, was discovered by the Mole herself. This was also the same number used to call Luigi during the Hostage challenge, and the group had suggested that the number code was just for a phone only.

The digits were a clue. If you were to use your phone and see the letters corresponding to the following digits, the phrase M-O-L-E I-S T-R could be made out.

(Mole is T.R.)

2) The Technique Slip

During the questioning at the Jail Rescue Challenge, Toadette had told me that her paper was never exposed to any light. However, the players were never told anything about the photographic paper technique beforehand, so how did Toadette know this? The only person who would be able to know about the challenges beforehand is the Mole.

3) The Coded Answer

The numbers for the answer that were needed to escape in the Jail Rescue Challenge were 201, 514, 520, and 205. Using the same exact type of code mentioned in the riddle (a: 1, b: 2, c: 3, etc.) would have given a name in the answer itself.

If you were to rearrange the numbers logically into 1-2 digit numbers, they would have been converted into 20, 15, 1, 4, 5, 20, 20, and 5. So using the same code featured in the puzzle:

20: **T**, 15: **O**, 1: **A**, 4: **D**, 5: **E**, 20: **T**, 20: **T**, 5: **E**

4) Ferry Arcade Game

A game in the ferry arcade was called _Tic-Tac-Toe Debt_, with a "game over screen" mentioning that the Mole is hidden. This was a clue, because if you were to say the name of the arcade game out loud, it could also be misheard as Tic-Tac-_Toadette_.

5) The Late Delivery Challenge Paper **(Picture Clue)**

The message Luigi dropped at the rooms in Noki Village has a poem and a gray line. If you were to move the gray line onto the words with the top end starting at the E in "Even" (hence the name of the picture, 'start-at-e'), it would spell out a word going down throughout the poem.

**E**ven

i**m**agine

**e**vening

**r**evolving

**g**oing

spl**e**en

a**n**other

a**c**quire

**y**onder

The most related term that has the word 'emergency' in it is the occupation of the Mole: an **emergency** nurse.

6) The Wood Ear Restaurant Napkins **(Picture Clue)**

The clue that was seen by the deserving ones in the Jail challenge was completely useless to the players. That's because it pointed towards the intro of each episode, which the players never hear at all.

The words on the napkins are anagrams of other words, and if unscrambled correctly, you would get ten regular words. Strangely though, half of them are related to cards. The name of the picture is 'IHATECARDS', instructing to remove these card-related words. The words left are _Episode Each Of Word First_. Switch the order, and it comes out as "First word of each episode." The sentence spelled out will be shown at the end of our clue revealing.

_**Episode 4 Clues:**_

1) The Shopper's Book

During the Sell and Laugh Challenge, the book that the crew member had dropped onto Lakitu and Blooper's table was Great Expectations. If you feel as if you remembered this title from somewhere, you might have. But it was the book that Lakitu spotted during the Baggage challenge from the very first episode, in the bag of none other than Toadette.

2) The Dragged Mole

"_The Mole was the one being dragged through this crap challenge."_

I said this witty phrase after the success of the Craps Challenge, because the Mole indeed was the one being dragged, literally, with a ball and chain shackled to her leg.

3) The Ferry Flag **(Picture Clue)**

The Ferry Flag picture was impossible to keep track on which name appeared the most. However, the answers had been posted right on the flag, when Episode 4 ended. To make it even more confusing, following the names of each of the six players is the number **9**.

Or is it? Noticed how all the nines are incomplete at the top, creating **4**'s. The** 9 **after Toadette's name is truly a number nine, dominating the others in number of appearances.

4) The Board the Train Challenge Town 1 Map **(Picture Clue)**

The picture of the map of Town 1 in the Train challenge has an additional location. The name of the picture is 'third corner', and if you were to look at the bottom left of the map, the letters "TITM" in a different and enlarged font are visible. This is not an actual place on the map, but initials for the phrase, "Toadette Is The Mole."

_**Episode 5 Clues:**_

1) The Tranquilizer Labels

In the Bell of Endurance challenge, scattered across the obstacle were tranquilizer machines named "Zb June". A "**Zb June" **was described as being a female killer, giving a very unconfirmed hint that the Mole was female. In addition, the name of the machine was "Zb June" instead of "ZB June", which would have been the correct way to label a product. The reason for the lowercase "b" is because the letters "**Zb"** are intentionally supposed to resemble the look of the number "**26"**.

Toadette's birthday: **June** **26**. A very similar appearance to the product name of the tranquilizers.

2) The Random Hotel Note **(Picture Clue)**

Dropped in each of their room's before the Relatives game was a note displaying a stanza from the _The Odyssey_, which was both baffling and insignificant. At the bottom in minimized font was the statement, "_Add the "e" now and see what the truth is_". It was instructing you to follow your next step, in case you had realized that the name of the picture was 'addetothis'.

Looking at the URL (and indeed looking up, as the last line of the poem says), you would have to change 'addetothis' into the correct title, 'addetothis**e**'. Once doing so, you would be brought to another picture blatantly revealing the identity of the Mole.

3) The Mole's Confession **(Picture Clue)**

The spiral notebook paper had a message that seemed to be about the Relatives Rescue challenge, but in truth it was not. The first line was a clue: "through the _double dash"_. But the odd thing about the poem was that after every line, there were an odd number of periods that followed. The periods following at the end of each line made out a second clue.

**Through the double d****A****sh...**

**I first came comple****T****e..**

**And though I faced past my bloc****K****.**

**I faced my fea****R****.**

If you were to take the number of periods and go back that many letters in that line, you would get the letters 'A-T-K-R', an anagram for 'KART'. _Double Dash_ and _Kart_ are clues that point to the game _Mario Kart: Double Dash, _in where the Mole made her first appearance.

4) The Laundry Time

The time that started on the washing machines in the Laundry Race challenge, 32 minutes, was told to be a clue "to start your day". But the players had already received a clue that morning, so this would have not been their first clue. The phrase "to start your day" was another reference to the Mole's birthday, June 26.

June being the sixth month would represent the number six, so in other words, Toadette's birthday can be written out as 6/26. So with that, 6 plus 26 equals 32.

_**Episode 6 Clues**_

1) Elsom Art Gallery

The art gallery where Luigi and Toadette played the Exhibit Challenge had a fake name. The word ELSOM had a deeper meaning to it that spelled out the Mole's identity. Seeing how the word MOLE could be made out with ELSOM reversed, the unaffected letter 'S' was the crucial letter.

**EL****-S-****OM**

**R****-S-****T**

So replaced in by the alphabet, the letters that take the place of the word MOLE are **T** and **R**, Toadette's initials.

2) The Scrabble Board **(Picture Clue)**

The phrase in the middle of the Scrabble board read, "THE MOLE IS MALE". But the board had already been manipulated by the first person who had entered the room, who happened to be Toadette. Seeing the phrase "THE MOLE IS FEMALE" on the board, she changed it and took down the two crucial letter tiles and left the false statement to be seen on the wall. But how could you have known that the board originally read, "THE MOLE IS FEMALE?"

The only proof that exists is that if you insert the F and the E back into their proper places, two other words of the English language would be formed going down: IF and SEDATES.

3) The Card Values

The card games for McHallyboo's Funhouse were rigged, in order to land Toadette as third eliminated. But Toadette's cards were also rigged to cleverly spell out the word 'MOLE'.

In the High Card Game, Toadette got a **ten** and a **three**. The value added up to 13. Thirteenth letter of the alphabet: _M_

In the Blackjack round, Toadette got an **eight** and a **seven**. The value added up to 15. Fifteenth letter: _O_

In her first Poker draw, Toadette got **two aces,** a** three, two, **and a **five**. The value added up to 12. Twelfth letter: _L_

And to complete the word, Toadette draws one more card during the Poker game, a **five**. Fifth letter: _E_

4) Alphabetized Alternatives 2

In the penultimate execution quiz in where Lakitu had met his demise, the same occupation question appears from Episode 2, having the occupations listed alphabetically with Toadette's job being out of place. Seen right below the question, Lakitu begins contemplating the various clues seen throughout the game. There was indeed a clue, directly above his diary entry which was ironically focused on hidden clues.

_**Episode 7 Clues**_

1) Candle Scents

The candle scents on the top shelf during the Candle mini-challenge were put in a special order and read out by Luigi.

The eight flavors on the top shelf were the following: **T**urnip, **O**range, **A**vocado, **D**urian, **E**gg, **T**omato, **T**ulip, and **E**vening glimmer. Taking the first letter of each label would have spelled out the Mole's name.

2) Subliminal Spanish

Among the twenty Spanish phrases that were played out on the cassette tape was the Spanish translation for the English sentence, "In the hole", an odd phrase for a location in a souvenir shop. This was actually a location for a mole, and also, the Mole.

The translation given was "_El traidor del champiñón"_. But actually, this would translate to English as "The Mushroom Traitor".

_**Mushrooms:**_

Hidden in each episode were alluding mentions to the food of mushrooms, which are a clear symbolization of Toadette. As well as a physical mentioning of the fungi for each episode, Toadette was also directed to say chosen phrases that contained the name of each certain type. Though subliminal and hard to spot, these were simply added for fun, or for the readers with sharp minds:

_Episode 1: _In the first dinner of the game, the players are eating Portobello mushrooms stuffed with salmon. In Toadette's diary entry, she says, "It's just like a **port o' bell; o**nly captains can arrive but can disclaim the ship they had been riding." The reason she said this meaningless and un-existed phrase was because Portobello could be made out.

_Episode 2: _Peach's dish in the Acquired/Accustomed challenge was Enoki, and the host described it to be 'as mysterious as the Mole.' In fact, Enoki is actually thin, white stalks of mushrooms. That night, when Toadette is talking to Peach, she randomly says, "Strang**e Noki.**" Hidden is Enoki.

_Episode 3: _The restaurant the innocent jail players had gone to eat in after the Container Investigation was named "Wood Ear", which is another type of mushroom. In Toadette's last confession diary entry for the episode, she says, "Lakitu has always been a high candidate for me though…**woo, dear**."

_Episode 4: _Luigi spots a dye bottle in the barber shop during the Craps Challenge called "Royal Trumpet", once again, a mushroom. In the same challenge, Toadette also calls her dare during the game a "**Royal Trumpet**".

_Episode 5: _During their dinner of the Worst Fears Discussion, they spot the advertising for a fake special dish, Tempura Oyster. Though bringing up the fact that it is a clue, none of them realized that Oyster is a name for yet another kind of mushroom. At the engagement of Lakitu and Dominique, Toadette afterwards says, "B**oy, ster**ilize this."

_Episode 6: _The first two games each contained a pair of cheerleading **Pom-poms **hidden somewhere, items which held no appropriateness in either one; a set of Pom-poms was spotted in the junkyard of the Exhibit challenge, and the Pom-poms in the Spelling Koopa challenge served as a red herring. Pom-poms are indeed a type of mushroom. The word **Pom-pom** also appears in the Scrabble Clue.

_Episode 7:_ The last mentioning came from Blooper in the Candlelight Inn. Blooper spots and announces his finding of a Mushroom-scented candle, the first and last time the word "**Mushroom"** was ever heard in the game.

**Other Clues**

The Mole: Traitor Aboard Logo

Clues go as far as this; putting themselves into the logo picture of the show. Not only is the text, "TRaitor Aboard" in the color of pink, but the letters T and R are capitalized, pointing directly at none other than Toadette Rytoad.

The Execution Vehicle

The vehicle that the executed leave in is always described as having a symbol of two snakes wrapped around a pole. This is a modified version of the symbol called the _Star of Life, _which displays the Rod of Asclepius, a snake wrapped around a pole from Greek Mythology. The symbol is largely associated with the symbolism of medicine and healing the sick, and is used in many hospitals and ambulances around the world. An appropriate symbol for an execution vehicle and a very fitting hint at the Mole's career.

Mole's Dossier (Page 9) **(Picture Clue)**

The ninth page of the fifteen pages of the Mole's dossier held clues (click on the page to zoom in, so the words become clearer).

Notice the green circles scattered among the page of Toadette's diary entry. The first green circle is located under the phrase "_try to add_", and examining it closely, you will see that it's actually under the name of the Mole's surname, 'Rytoad'. The other two circles also were a clue to the Mole, because they both stretched out somewhere among the words from the letter T to the letter R.

And now that you know the names of each picture clue were important, why don't you try finding the other salvaged pages from the folder? After all, there are **15** pages in total, and the name of the picture is "mdpage**9**". Try to uncover what the dossier really had.

The Episode Intros

So what were the first words spoken at the intro of each of the seven episodes?

_"__**It**__ has begun." _

_"__**Is**__ it an assumption..." _

_"__**Obvious**__ answers were..." _

_"__**The**__ traitor had taken..." _

_"__**Mole**__ has done it again." _

_"__**Is**__ it a disgrace..."_

"_**Toadette**__. Blooper. Luigi. Three alive."_

_**It Is Obvious The Mole Is **__**Toadette**__**. **_The all-important word relied on the player mentioned first in the last episode intro.

* * *

Toadette couldn't help but grin.

"There were so many clues right in front of our eyes," Lakitu said with disbelief, "And I missed every one of them. Well, except for the tranquilizer one."

"I didn't get a single one," Birdo admitted, surprised. "Those were so clever."

"I knew that was a clue!" said Daisy. "Tic-Tac-Toadette. It was too much of a coincidence."

"Yeah, well, some of those clues were only available to the viewers," pointed out Rawk Hawk. "Not fair, but at least it didn't spoil the game for any of us."

"So Toadette," McHallyboo said, knowing that the show's finale was coming to an end, "What was the hardest part about being the Mole?"

"The hardest part?" Toadette repeated. She thought for a while.

"I guess the hardest part was keeping my identity a secret all the way until the end," she told him. "It was much harder than I anticipated it to be."

"Would you like to play this game again?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, "But I'd actually want to play and be a regular contestant. I would win so badly." The others laughed.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll never get to do that," McHallyboo told her. "Blooper, would you play this game again?"

"Sure," Blooper said, "I'd probably not make it as far as I did this time, but I'd definitely like to play _The Mole_ again. But I'll never actually want to be the Mole."

"Who here thinks they would make a great Mole?" McHallyboo asked the group. Doopliss raised his hand.

"I'm an actor," he explained. The others laughed.

"Birdo would make a great Mole," Peach piped up. Birdo shook her head strongly.

"Luigi, any advice for the future players?" McHallyboo asked him. Luigi rubbed his nose.

"Gee," he said, "I'm flattered that you're asking me that a question. I'll just say that it starts off from luck, but as you go into the game more, you'll need to use as much power in your mind as you can to win the game."

"Toadette, any advice for a future Mole?" McHallyboo asked her. Toadette smiled.

"Never, ever drift away from your real personality," she said, "And you don't always have to lie." With that, the players clapped.

The eventful finale had come to its end, and the liveliness of the reunion was coming to an end as well. All the players gave their hugs of farewell, making sure to not lose contact of each other once the game was over. Everyone left happily, but most of all, they were relieved. All questions were answered, and everything was done.

Luigi Mario went home and was met with stunned yet elated faces when he revealed his victory, the most surprised one coming from none other than his brother. Keeping a fraction of the prize money for himself, Luigi donated the rest of the money in order to improve the horrible conditions of the underground sewers beneath their towns. He was finally a winner, and this time, a real one.

Blooper Inke went home, and although he was pleased with his new vehicle, it was nothing compared to the grand prize that he could have won. Going back to his different world in the ocean, he realized that he was a winner himself. The prize? Everything he obtained from the experience.

Toadette Rytoad went back to her quiet home with the satisfaction of a job well done. Finally going back to her normal life, Toadette used the money she received to help her sister through college, as well as herself in becoming a doctor. But above all, she could finally relax.

And for the others? Well, they could relax themselves too, knowing that there aren't any more stressful situations than the ones these players had to endure.

The Mole, however, didn't fully return back to her regular life. After all, once a Mole, always a Mole.

Forced to live the remainder of her life known as a traitor, Toadette could barely wait for the next willing person to replace her job. Neither could McHallyboo.

* * *

**And that's the end! Luigi, Blooper, Toadette return back to their normal lives. However, the next adventure is sure to disrupt each of them in a special way.**

**For those of you who had never heard of the Mole before until you read this story, check out the seasons on Youtube. They have the US Mole, as well as the UK and Australian versions. Hope you became a Mole fan :)**

**Thanks a million to all the readers, but most especially, the reviewers! This story would have gone NOWHERE without all the great reviews I had received.** **So I thank every reviewer deeply.**

**Don't forget to check at the Mole's dossier (even though only six pages are available). And I hope you enjoyed all those hidden clues that were scattered about. Maybe some of you caught onto the Mole by taking in the clues as subliminal messages. Who knows?**

**Please leave a final review! And if you want to, maybe leave some suggestions, for, well, the second season. If there happens to be one.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	40. Results

Episode 1

Cliff Springs Challenge 0c/15000c

Baggage Challenge 5,000/20,000c

Total: 5000c/35,000c

Executed: Rawk Hawk

Episode 2

Egg Transfer Challenge 25,000c/25,000c

Acquired/Accustomed Challenge 0/20,000c

Clue Challenge 10,000c/40,000c

Episode Total: 35,000c/85,000c

Total: 40,000c/120,000c

Executed: Doopliss

Episode 3

Late Delivery Challenge: 0c/15,000c

Hostage Challenge: 0c/20,000c

Jail Escape Challenge: 20,000c/20,000c

Episode Total: 20,000c/55,000c

Total: 60,000c/175,000c

Eliminated: Daisy

Episode 4

Sell and Laugh Challenge: 5,000c/25,000c

Craps Challenge: 30,000c/30,000c

Board the Train Challenge: 20,000c/20,000c

Episode Total: 55,000c/75,000c

Total: 115,000c/250,000c

Eliminated: Birdo

Episode 5

Bell of Endurance Challenge: 0/30,000c

Relatives Rescue Challenge: 30,000c/40,000c

Laundry Race Challenge: 20,000c/20,000c

Episode Total: 50,000c/90,000c

-10,000c Late Penalization

Total: 155,000c/340,000c

Eliminated: Peach

Episode 6

Exhibit Challenge: 0c/15,000c

Koopa Speller Challenge: 15,000c/15,000c

McHallyboo's Fun House: 0c/40,000c

Flawed Lie Detector Challenge: 10,000c/10,000c

Episode Total: 25,000c/80,000c

Total: 180,000c/420,000c

Eliminated: Lakitu

Episode 7

Three Questions Game: 10,000c/30,000c

Journey of Completion Challenge: 50,000c/50,000c

Dossier Temptation: No money lost

Final Team Pot Value: 240,000c/500,000c

**Interesting Facts**

The same way that Toadette is described stepping off of the train and unmasking herself as the Mole is the exact same way she stepped off her helicopter when she begun the game.

A number of these games actually came from Mole series from different countries, most of them being from the US. Though most of them modified, these included the Hostage challenge, Jail Escape challenge, Sell and Laugh challenge, Craps challenge, Board the Train challenge, Exhibit challenge, Flawed Lie Detector challenge, McHallyboo's Funhouse, and the classic Three Questions game. Two of the mini-challenges in the Journey of Completion came from the UK Mole. The rest were created by me.

In Episode 4, Toadette said: _There's so much money going into the pot, it's not even funny! Winning the money is like a dream, a dream which you know could never happen. But even with that, you still like to think about it._ Being the Mole, she knew that she could never receive the money, hence why she said her line.

In Epiosde 5, Lakitu and Peach took neutralizers, in order to save the relatives of Toadette and Luigi. This would mean that neither Peach or Lakitu were eligible for future exemptions. So even if Lakitu had won the Flawed Lie Detector Challenge in the penultimate episode, he still wouldn't have made it to the final round.

In Episode 8, Toadette said the following: _I hated the way Blooper began to rule over me, forcing me to do everything that he said. But you know, when you're getting stressed out from being the Mole you tend to get aggravated over little things._ This looked as if Toadette was accusing Blooper of being the Mole. In fact, she was actually talking about herself.

And a last clue: Look at the chapter titles of Chapters 1 through 8. Every time you would want to read a later chapter, the first eight titles would always be displayed going down. To all my awesome readers, did you ever notice the acrostic?


	41. TM:TA Alternative Finale

**EXTRA NOTE: Guys, this was seriously done just for the laughs. Some of you are offended that this chapter and have messaged me about it, which confuses me. Of course this mini-chapter is unrelated to the actual story of this game. And of course it's fake.**

**I was actually inspired by the "unscripted" versions of the US Mole finales**, **written by the actual producer of the Mole. So I decided to do my own version of it here. I just want to say that if you find this final chapter so "wrong" in your opinion, please do not read it. **

**Otherwise, enjoy this! **

* * *

_And now we give you the unscripted version of the finale of The Mole: Traitor Aboard:_

* * *

**McHallyboo:** Welcome everybody to the last and final episode of The Mole: Traitor Aboard. It's been three months since Luigi, Blooper, and Toadette had taken that final quiz aboard that old train in Bob-omb village, and now, the results of that quiz will be revealed. Over here we have our six executed players. Welcome back guys.

**Doopliss: **How much are we being paid for being here?

**McHallyboo:** Err, none at all. Why would you ask that?

**Peach: **What? The invitation promised us that we would get money! I want MY money!

(Daisy slaps Peach)

**Daisy:** Shut up! You're already rich. I mean, look at poor Rawk Hawk over there. He's poor and he's not even complaining one bit.

**McHallyboo:** Actually Daisy, I was just about to inform everyone that Rawk Hawk was injured during his fall in the Cliff Springs challenge. His vocal cords were snapped, and now, well he can't talk any more.

(Rawk Hawk holds up a sign that reads, "_I'm suing this show and now I'm gonna be rich, baby!_")

**Daisy:** Ohh...

**Birdo:** Well, I don't need any money for being here. I just came here to find out who the Mole is.

**McHallyboo: **Oh yes, let's continue one. Okay, so I'm going to ask you guys two questions; who you think the winner is, and who you think the Mole is. Rawk Hawk?

**Rawk Hawk:** Hmmph mph httmp Luigi win mphmm Toadette Mole mfffhph!

**McHallyboo:** Okay. Doopliss?

**Doopliss:** Hey, why do you ask the first executed players first for their prediction? I call that racism!

**McHallyboo:** Doopliss, no way in the world is that called racism-

**Doopliss:** Oh yeah it is! We're in the Mole world now. And that's racism.

**Birdo: **He's right.

(McHallyboo looks at the camera, then sighs)

**McHallyboo: **Okay. Lakitu?

**Lakitu:** I mock the surviving three to the depths of hell. I refuse to predict.

**McHallyboo:** O...kay. Doopliss?

**Doopliss:** I'm sure Luigi is the Mole. And I think Toadette is the winner.

**McHallyboo:** Daisy?

**Daisy:** Toadette is the winner. Luigi is sooo the Mole! When I didn't vote for him on the quiz, I got executed. Suspicious? I think so.

**McHallyboo: **Birdo, who do you think the winner is and who do you think the Mole is?

**Birdo:** Luigi is the Mole and I want to date him. If he's not the Mole then I want to go out on a date with the real Mole. I have a fondness for suspicious people. The winner is Blooper.

**McHallyboo: **Errrrrm...uhhh...that's just weird. But you ARE Birdo, so I'll take it. And lastly, Peach?

**Peach:** Hmm, like, I think Toadette is like the Mole or something, but since nobody else voted for Toadette and I never want to be that left-out person, I totally vote for Luigi.

**McHallyboo:** And who do you think will win?

**Peach:** I don't care.

**McHallyboo:** Fair enough. All right, now it's time for us to discover who the Mole is. Everyone turn to the television.

**Lakitu:** I waited so long for this moment. If I'm not surprised, someone's getting killed. And I'm dead serious.

(Pulls out a dagger from his pocket to McHallyboo's horror)

* * *

(the footage shows the Bob-omb train station from three months ago. The train approaches the station and stops. McHallyboo jumps off the front of the train and stands in the middle of the platform).

**McHallyboo: **Once you are all in front of your doors, I will turn on only the sensor of the winner's doors. If your doors open up, you are the winner, and you have just won two hundred and forty thousand coins. Luigi, are you ready?

(silence)

**McHallyboo: **Luigi? Are you there?

**Luigi:** Oh, sorry. I was just finishing up my quiz.

**McHallyboo:** Uh, Luigi, the quizzes on your laptops stopped taking results over an hour ago. You had approximately 48 hours to finish the quiz. Are you looking at a blank laptop screen?

**Blooper:** Oh dear, I guess I win then. We all know the Toadette's the-

**Toadette:** I'm ready, McHallyboo!

**McHallyboo:** Blooper, are you ready?

**Blooper:** You just heard my voice a second ago!

**McHallyboo:** Oh yeah, I forgot. Okay, well, are all of you standing in front of your doors?

**Finalists:** Yep!

**McHallyboo:** May the winner's door...please open!

(McHallyboo pushes down on the middle button, but none of the doors open)

**McHallyboo:** That's odd. Maybe it's this one.

(pushes first button, and the doors of Blooper's car open)

**Blooper**: Oh my God, I'm the winner? YAY YAY YAY! YAHOOOO! I WON THE MOLE! I WON! I WON OVER 200,000 COINS! YES YES! I'M SO HAPPY I WON! I'LL GO TO COLLEGE AND BECOME A DOCTOR AND BE SUCCESSFUL AND LIVE THE HAPPIEST LIFE EVER!

**McHallyboo:** Wait, huh?

(looks at remote)

**McHallyboo:** Luigi, are you standing in front of your door?

**Luigi:** Oh no, I'm still sitting down on my chair. Why?

**McHallyboo:** I TOLD EVERYONE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEIR DOORS! DO YOU NOT KNOW ENGLISH, YOU-

**Luigi:** Wow, no need to yell at me. You're a very bad host.

(McHallyboo takes a deep breath and controls his anger)

**McHallyboo:** Blooper, I am very sorry, but you are not the winner. Please return back to your car.

**Blooper:** But, but... (teary eyed)

**McHallyboo: **It's the rules.

(Blooper bursts into tears and runs back into his train car. The doors close)

**McHallyboo: **Okay. Once again. May the winner's doors...please open.

(Luigi pops out of his car)

**Luigi:** I won? Unbelievable!

**McHallyboo:** Congratulations, Luigi! You are the winner of the Mole: Traitor Aboard! How do you feel?

**Luigi:** Okay, I guess.

**McHallyboo:** That's it?

**Luigi:** Well, I am a bit sore from that 48 hour train ride, but other than that, I feel fine.

**McHallyboo:** I was honestly expecting a better reaction than that. But I can't force you. Let's now release the Mole!

(McHallyboo pushes down on the third button)

**Toadette:** (pops out of train car) Hi guys!

**Luigi:** Wow, you stepped onto the dusty terrain just like you had stepped off from the helicopter on Day 1!

**Toadette:** Yeah, I'm aware of that.

**Luigi:** Anyways, you were an awesome Mole!

**Toadette:** Stop fibbing. You voted for me since Day 1.

**Luigi:** But you were an awesome Mole.

**Toadette:** Well, okay. Thanks for telling me that.

**McHallyboo:** Well, nobody cares about the runner-up (looks at the third train car) so let's all go ride in the limousine out to dinner!

(the three of them happily walk off the platform and to a waiting limousine)

* * *

(the phrase THE END appears at the end on the television. The players are dumbstruck and speechless)

**Lakitu:** I have to admit, I was surprised.

(puts dagger away)

**Peach**: Toadette was the Mole? What a phone!

**Rawk Hawk:** Mphm agree! phmnfm.

(Daisy slaps Peach)

**Daisy:** She did good! And don't call my friend a "phony". That's a bad word.

**Doopliss:** Wait, so Luigi was the Mole?

**McHallyboo:** Did you even watch the revealing?

**Doopliss:** Nah, too busy worrying about my new job. I had to quit my old one to get onto this show, and look how far I got! Not even the third episode.

**Daisy:** Wait, but I don't get it! How is Luigi not the Mole? I didn't vote for him on the quiz and I got executed!

**Birdo:** Who else did you not vote for?

**Daisy**: Everyone except Lakitu.

**Birdo:** There you go.

(Blooper, Luigi, and Toadette appear from the hotel entrance. The others are delighted and they all settle down)

**McHallyboo:** Well, now that we know everything, we can now say that Luigi is the winner, and that Toadette was the Mole. Blooper was just there for the lol's.

**Blooper**: Not...taroo!

**McHallyboo:** Oh no Blooper, it was definitely true. So, let's reveal and take a look at your strategy, shall we?

* * *

_Blooper started off completely clueless. He was an ocean explorer, and a videographer. But what we had never mentioned before was that he was also a drug dealer._

**Blooper:** My strategy is to execute the others. I give the players drugs for free, and in return, they self-execute themselves. It's as simple as that.

_It worked perfectly. Until in the end when he realized that Luigi was secretly an undercover cop._

**Luigi**: Just like Steven from the Mole 1 US!

_In the end, Luigi won. And that was that._

* * *

**Birdo:** Oh wow...

**Blooper:** Poppycock! I should have tried harder.

**Peach:** You offered me drugs? I never knew that!

**Blooper:** I did. I just told you that it was edible money.

**Peach:** Oh yeah! Now I totally remember.

**Daisy: **How outlandishly innapropriate.

**McHallyboo:** But Blooper, wasn't that an illegal thing to do?

**Blooper:** I dunno. I guess it was, but I just wanted to win the game.

**McHallyboo:** Well, you ended up not winning the game so that was actually fine with the producers. On the final quiz, both of you had gone for Toadette. The quiz came down to two questions! Blooper, you scored three correct out of the twenty questions, and Luigi, you answered five correctly. Well done!

**Lakitu:** Do I dare ask what the questions were that altered the finale?

**McHallyboo:** Certainly. The first question that Luigi answered correctly that Blooper got wrong was:

_1. __Which of these two objects were in the Mole's bag during the Baggage challenge?_ You answered "Deodorant and black T-shirt".

**Toadette:** Huh? Were you even voting for me?

**Blooper:** I was indeed. I got you and Rawk Hawk mixed up at that moment.

**McHallyboo:** The second question that Blooper got wrong was:

_2. Who is the Mole?_

(all players turn to Blooper in confusion)

**Blooper:** I just remembered that I had accidentally chosen myself on that question.

**McHallyboo:** Ouch, bad luck. Grows hands next time so you don't mess up on choosing your answers. Anyways, Toadette was the Mole!

(the others cheer)

**Toadette:** Yep! I certainly was.

**McHallyboo:** Let's take a look at her strategy.

(all players turn curiously to the TV)

* * *

_And that's how Toadette got the other players to execute themselves. _

(the video finishes, all the players are flabbergasted, wide-eyed, and wide-mouthed)

**Birdo:** Oh dear...that was worse than Blooper's strategy.

**Toadette:** Wait! The producers promised to never tell any of that! Come on!

**McHallyboo:** Well, Toadette, you're not the only liar in this game.

**Doopliss:** I can see that...

**McHallyboo:** What in heavens are you talking about, Doopliss? Anyways, let's now look at Toadette's sabotage throughout the entire game.

* * *

**Baggage Challenge**

"I switched Blooper's and Rawk Hawk's bags in that game. This caused Blooper to mess up on the final quiz."

**Sell and Laugh Challenge**

"I bought pumpkins for the other two to sell. Nobody in Rogueport knows what a pumpkin is so nobody bought any of them."

**Journey of Completion**

"I helped them win the game."

* * *

(TV flashes off)

**Peach: **What happened to the TV?

**McHallyboo:** Nothing's wrong, it's just that the segment is over.

**Doopliss:** That's all she did for the entire game? No wonder nobody suspected her!

**Birdo:** The last one wasn't even sabotage!

**McHallyboo:** You know what, it's your all darned fault. All you guys do is complain, and complain, and you all deserve it! All except for Toadette.

(Toadette flashes a smile)

**McHallyboo:** Okay, time for the hidden clues. Because we're running low on budget here we won't be using the television.

**Daisy:** And you had enough money to give away 240,000 coins in the end?

**McHallyboo:** Hush! Clue Number 1: Toadette is the very first Mole ever. So, her name could be "The Mole 1". Eight letters. That's exactly how many letters are in the name Toadette.

**Daisy:** Ummmmmm...that's not a clue.

**McHallyboo:** Clue Number 2: Toadette is an emergency nurse. During the Hostage rescue, Luigi was certainly in an emergency.

**All Players:** ...srsly?

**McHallyboo:** Clue Number 3: Toadette is a mushroom, and there were lots of mentionings of mushooms throughout the game.

**Birdo:** Oh, well that one isn't too bad of a clue. It actually makes sense.

**McHallyboo:** Clue Number 4: I told you that there were lots of mentionings of mushrooms in the game. In fact, there weren't any at all. If you had known I was lying to you, you would have also known that Toadette was indeed lying as well, and that she is the Mole.

**Doopliss:** WHAT THE HECK THAT MADE NO SENSE!

**McHallyboo:** And finally, Clue Number 5: The word "Toadette" flashed in one frame during Episode 7's intro.

**Peach:** Hey, that's not fair! We couldn't see that!

**McHallyboo**: I know. How do you think the readers felt about that clue?

**Lakitu:** Enraged.

**McHallyboo:** What was that, Lakitu?

(All of a sudden Lakitu pulls out his dagger and aims it at the host, throwing it. The host manages to duck in the nick of time and dodge the flying weapon. He then pulls out a gun from his coat pocket and shoots Lakitu. He crumbles into a pile of bones)

**PEACH: **AWWW MY GAWWWWD WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN HERE?

**BLOOPER:** LAKITU'S DEAD! LAKITU IS DEAD!

(Everyone else screams in fear)

**Rawk Hawk:** MHPHG PHMGH TFFBITPH! WTF?

**McHallyboo:** Calm down everyone! Producers!

(the producers come in and take away Lakitu's...remains, but McHallyboo stops them)

**McHallyboo:** No, leave him here. The finale isn't over yet.

**Daisy**: Ewww, I don't want to be sitting next to a dead corpse!

**Birdo:** Well, he really wasn't too much of a fun player anyway.

**McHallyboo:** And now we come to the conclusion of our finale. Toadette, what's your advice for a future Mole?

**Toadette:** Umm, I don't know. Don't sabotage? Because then people would suspect you.

**McHallyboo:** Hmm...Toadette, I think it's clear the producers had forgotten to tell you that the Mole's job is to sabotage.

**Toadette:** Huh? It was?

**McHallyboo:** Umm, yep. Luigi, what's your advice for any future players?

**Luigi:** You're asking me? Oh, I am so flattered! Mama-mia, yes! I'm finally popular!

**McHallyboo:** Actually, I'm just asking you that question because you had won the game. You'll never be popular no matter what you do, so just accept it.

**Luigi:** Oh, I figured that...

**McHallyboo:** And nobody cares what Blooper has to say.

(Blooper buries his head in his lap)

**McHallyboo: **And that is all. Good night folks!

**Peach:** But where's our money?

**McHallyboo:** NO YOU DO NOT GET ANY MONEY! GOOD NIGHT!

Luigi Mario went home happily after the game. With the 240,000 coins he had won, he was finally able to bail his brother Mario out of jail (for illegal property trespassing during his adventures). With the rest of his money, he was able to pay for the gastric bypass surgery Mario always wanted.

Blooper Inke became severely depressed from his loss after the game ended. He now rules the underwater facilitations for troubled sea creatures).

And Toadette? Well, let's just say that after doing her horrible job as the Mole, she finally went back to her normal life. Whatever that is.

* * *

**And that is the unscripted version of the Mole: Traitor Aboard! Well, not really. This was just done for the lol's, and is completely unrelated to the actual storyline. None of this never happened.  
**

**I actually started my own online version of the Mole during the summer on Facebook, and it went great! The finale will be in about two weeks. And a great thanks to Wimpzilla for referencing me (in a very hilarious and fitting way I must say XD) in his story  
**

**I'd like to give just another huge thanks to all my readers and reviewers out there! This story wouldn't have ever been complete without you guys following it along, reviewing and, well, acting like real detectives along the story! Hope you enjoyed it greatly.  
**

**Oh, and some of you are waiting for a so-called second season. But when will it come? That question is as mysterious as the Mole, isn't it?**


End file.
